IAWS Group

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = IAWS Group plc
company_
fate = Merged with Hiestand Holdings AG
successor = Aryzta AG.
foundation =1988
defunct = 2008
location = Based in flagicon|IRL Dublin, Ireland, operations in Europe and North America.
industry = Food
key_people =
products =
num_employees =
parent = Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society Limited (until 1996)
subsid = Origin Enterprises (since 2007)

IAWS Group plc was an international food and agribusiness group. The Group had lifestyle food operations in Ireland, the UK, France, the USA, and Canada serving over 50,000 customers. This lifestyle food business focuses on niche high quality growth segments of the bakery and convenience food markets.

The Group had its roots in the Irish agricultural industry and continued to maintain a leadership position in Ireland and the UK in the areas of animal feed, fertiliser and marine protein.

IAWS Group plc was listed on the Dublin and London Stock Exchanges and was publicly quoted since 1988. It delisted at completion of business on 20 August 2008 following its merger with Hiestand Holding AG to found Aryzta AG. Aryzta commenced trading on the ISE and SWX Swiss Exchange on 22 August 2008. IAWS Group plc is now a wholly owned subsidary of Arzyta AG.

Products

In North America, IAWS was mainly known for its Cuisine de France range of French-style bread-based products and La Brea Bakery known for their higher end of Artisan Breads. Otis Spunkmeyer was acquired by IAWS in November 2006.

In addition to Cuisine de France and La Brea Bakery, IAWS also operates and owns the following brands in Europe: Delice de France, Pierre's, Shamrock Foods, Roma, Carroll Cuisine, Hubert, and Coup de Pates.

History

The company was spun off from the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society (IAWS Co-Op) and floated on the Irish Stock Exchange in 1988. The company acquired most of the Society's then businesses, in the food, fertiliser, and agribusiness areas at that point. For most of the 1990s the company was managed by Phillip Lynch, first as chief executive officer and later chairman. In 1996 the IAWS Co-Op took its shareholding in the company below 51% for the first time. Lynch retired as chairman in 2005, as the IAWS Co-Op (of which he is now chief executive) prepared to sell the last of its shares in the company and itself float on the stock exchange, as One51 plc. IAWS Co-op changed its name to One51 plc, but did not in the event float on the stock exchange.

On 5 June 2007, IAWS spun-off the agribusiness activities - which had been themselves spun off from the IAWS Co-Op to form IAWS Group in 1988 - as a new company Origin Enterprises plc, listed on the Irish Enterprise Exchange and the Alternative Investment Market. Aryzta retains a majority shareholding in Origin.

In summer 2008 IAWS announced that it would merge with Swiss company Hiestand Holding AG to form Arzyta AG. The new company is incorporated in Switzerland (in order to avoid the situation where a Swiss company would be owned by an Irish company) and has listings on the SWX Swiss Exchange (the Zurich Stock Exchange) and the Irish Stock Exchange, but has dropped IAWS' listing on the London Stock Exchange. Trading in IAWS ceased on 20 August 2008 with Arzyta commencing trading on 22 August. This brings the IAWS name to an end after 111 years since the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society was founded, its successor companies being Aryzta, One51, and Origin Enterprises plc.

IAWS Group subsidiaries

*Food North America
**Otis Spunkmeyer
**La Brea Bakery
*Food Europe
**Cuisine de France
**Delice de France
**Carroll Cuisine
**Pierre's
**Coup de Pates
*Origin Enterprises
**R&H Hall
**Goulding Chemicals
**Odlums Group

References

External links

* [http://www.iaws.ie IAWS Group]