For more than a hundred years the traditional British milkman has been making doorstep deliveries. But now the daily pint is to be delivered by the Germans across much of the country. Surrey-based Dairy Crest has sold all of its dairies and 3,000 milk floats to Bavaria’s Müller for £80million. End of an era: Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest, said it didn't matter who owns the company . Müller – which sells dairy products around the world – will take control of four dairies at Severnside, near Bristol, Chadwell Heath, east London, Foston, Derbyshire, and Hanworth, in Birmingham, as well as around 70 depots. Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest, said: ‘It may be owned by a German firm but consumers love the milkman – it doesn’t matter who owns the company.’ It marks an end of an era for Dairy Crest, as milk represented around 70 per cent of their business. The firm will now focus on their Country Life butter and Cathedral City cheese brands. Mr Allen added: ‘In the months ahead we will do all we can to minimise the uncertainty that we know today’s news will bring for the many people associated with our business.’ Dairy Crest, Britain’s largest dairy food company, has struggled to pass on higher raw milk prices it paid to farmers last year and has been losing customers to supermarket chains, which offer cheaper milk. The company’s dairies swung to a loss of £4.4million for the six months to the end of September from a profit of £2.6million a year earlier. The deal adds to Müller’s growing presence in the British dairy industry. In 2012, the firm took over Scotland’s Robert Wiseman Dairies and already owns nine dairies and ten depots nationwide, employing almost 6,000 people. Ronald Kers, chief executive of Müller UK & Ireland, said: ‘We are concerned that the dynamics of the UK fresh milk market are unsustainable for dairy processors in the mid to long term. This acquisition will allow us to reduce our costs, increase our efficiencies and invest in the future.’ Dairy Crest is the latest in a string of once-proud British institutions sold to foreign firms. Four years ago, Cadbury was sold to American processed cheese maker Kraft while just this week Twiglets maker United Biscuits was bought by a Turkish firm. The Chinese own Weetabix and the Japanese own Sarson’s vinegar. In 2003 another British milk giant Express Dairies suffered a similar period of poor profitability and was bought by Swedish-Danish firm Arla. They in turn sold it to Dairy Crest in 2006. The British milkman first appeared in the 1860s when the rail network meant fresh milk could be transported around the country cheaply and quickly, direct from the farm. Milkmen took the milk door-to-door in churns on a three-wheeled ‘milk pram’. The pram has now evolved into an electric float and the milk is now decanted into pint bottles, but otherwise doorstep deliveries had, until now, withstood the tests of time.
Surrey-based Dairy Crest has sold its dairies and milk floats to Müller .
Bavarian company will take control of four dairies as well as 70 depots .
Dairy Crest will now focus on Country Life butter and Cathedral City brands .
For more than a hundred years the traditional British milkman has been making doorstep deliveries. But now the daily pint is to be delivered by the Germans across much of the country. Surrey-based Dairy Crest has sold all of its dairies and 3,000 milk floats to Bavaria’s Müller for £80million. End of an era: Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest, said it didn't matter who owns the company . Müller – which sells dairy products around the world – will take control of four dairies at Severnside, near Bristol, Chadwell Heath, east London, Foston, Derbyshire, and Hanworth, in Birmingham, as well as around 70 depots. Mark Allen, chief executive of Dairy Crest, said: ‘It may be owned by a German firm but consumers love the milkman – it doesn’t matter who owns the company.’ It marks an end of an era for Dairy Crest, as milk represented around 70 per cent of their business. The firm will now focus on their Country Life butter and Cathedral City cheese brands. Mr Allen added: ‘In the months ahead we will do all we can to minimise the uncertainty that we know today’s news will bring for the many people associated with our business.’ Dairy Crest, Britain’s largest dairy food company, has struggled to pass on higher raw milk prices it paid to farmers last year and has been losing customers to supermarket chains, which offer cheaper milk. The company’s dairies swung to a loss of £4.4million for the six months to the end of September from a profit of £2.6million a year earlier. The deal adds to Müller’s growing presence in the British dairy industry. In 2012, the firm took over Scotland’s Robert Wiseman Dairies and already owns nine dairies and ten depots nationwide, employing almost 6,000 people. Ronald Kers, chief executive of Müller UK & Ireland, said: ‘We are concerned that the dynamics of the UK fresh milk market are unsustainable for dairy processors in the mid to long term. This acquisition will allow us to reduce our costs, increase our efficiencies and invest in the future.’ Dairy Crest is the latest in a string of once-proud British institutions sold to foreign firms. Four years ago, Cadbury was sold to American processed cheese maker Kraft while just this week Twiglets maker United Biscuits was bought by a Turkish firm. The Chinese own Weetabix and the Japanese own Sarson’s vinegar. In 2003 another British milk giant Express Dairies suffered a similar period of poor profitability and was bought by Swedish-Danish firm Arla. They in turn sold it to Dairy Crest in 2006. The British milkman first appeared in the 1860s when the rail network meant fresh milk could be transported around the country cheaply and quickly, direct from the farm. Milkmen took the milk door-to-door in churns on a three-wheeled ‘milk pram’. The pram has now evolved into an electric float and the milk is now decanted into pint bottles, but otherwise doorstep deliveries had, until now, withstood the tests of time.
country. Surrey-based Dairy Crest has sold all of its dairies and 3,000 milk floats to Bavaria’s control of four dairies at Severnside, near The firm will now focus on their Country Life butter and Cathedral City cheese brands. Mr Allen