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European imports enters California market with Village Imports acquisition |
05.09.2008
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BRISBANE, Calif.--Marking its entry into the California market, European Imports Ltd. acquired specialty food distributor Made In France San Francisco, Inc. here May 5.
A California corporation founded in 1988 by Hugues de Vernou, M.I.F. operates under the name Village Imports and distributes more than 2,500 French products to high-end foodservice accounts and some retailers in Northern California. European Imports will add its product mix to the 46,000-square-foot facility here and expand distribution to independent retailers in the San Francisco area from Napa Valley to Carmel Valley and to Sacramento, according to Trish Pohanka, director of purchasing and marketing for European Imports.
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While the acquisition was unplanned, Pohanka said when de Vernou approached European Imports the opportunity to buy a company with similar product lines in an area with high growth potential couldn't be overlooked. "We weren't looking on the coast, but this opportunity came our way and we thought it was an excellent fit," she explained. "We carry products from many of the same manufacturers and our target market in the upscale foodservice arena is similar."
Gourmet News was unable to reach de Vernou before press time.
About 1,000 new SKUs will be added to European Import's product mix, including Village Imports' exclusive lines: Bambolino Italian products, Provence de France and Le Village Lemonades.
This is European Imports' fifth location. Headquartered in Chicago, the importer distributes more than 7,000 specialty food products to retailers and foodservice establishments from its warehouses in Phoenix, Atlanta and Dallas. European Imports acquired World-Delicacies.com in Dallas last October.
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