Unilever have announced a “strategic partnership” with Dutch company Zwanenberg Food Group which will see Zwanenberg buy the plant and manufacture products under brands including Unox, Knorr and Bertolli.

Unilever will remain accountable for sales and marketing of the brands, emphasized the impact the agreement would have on the future of the Unox brand.

Zwanenberg intends to relocate a volume of approximately 18,000 tons of its own canned meat production to the factory in Oss, in the south of the Netherlands, in 2019, leading to a 50 percent volume increase at the factory.

The site is set to become the largest factory within the Zwanenberg network.

Unox will utilize Zwanenberg’s expertise in meat, vegetarian foods and snack produce. The two companies have said the deal would lead to additional growth of the Unox brand, allowing it to respond effectively to current consumer needs.

“Unox is and remains a very important and strong local brand for Unilever in the Netherlands. The decision to embark on a strategic partnership with Zwanenberg has been taken with the sole purpose to accelerate the brand’s growth,” Conny Braams, general manager of Unilever's operations in the Benelux, said. “We expect to achieve significant benefits by leveraging our combined scale in Oss. The fact that Unox can use both the innovation and the investment power of ZFG reinforces the growth potential of the brand.”

“In addition, the fact that Unox will be able to use both the innovative and investment power of Zwanenberg enhances the growth possibilities of the brand. Hence, the partnership with Zwanenberg is the best choice for a healthy future for the factory, its employees and the Unox brand,” she explains.

Zwanenberg chairman Aldo van der Laan also said: “The acquisition is part of our strategy to further develop and expand the company by means of a wider range of foods, with a focus on long shelf-life products. Furthermore, the new situation gives Zwanenberg the opportunity to broaden the position in soups and sauces it currently primarily holds in the UK and the US, to the Netherlands and the rest of the European continent.”

325 staff members working at the plant will be transfered to Zwanenberg's employment. The company is aiming to increase the site's output, shifting 18,000 tons of meat production to the facility from an unknown location by 2019.

The transition will be submitted for approval to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets and for advice to the works councils of Unilever and Zwanenberg respectively.