AB Linas Agro Group plans to consolidate the activities of goods and services for farmers and grain sourcing in one company – AB Linas Agro. It is foreseen that AB Linas Agro will take over the activities of the Crop Division of Kauno Grūdai and its obligations to partners and customers from the second half of 2022.
A part of the team and assets of AB Kauno Grūdai will be transferred to AB Linas Agro in exchange for shares in AB Linas Agro to Kauno Grūdai. Most of these changes are expected to be implemented by July when both companies start the new financial year.
In mid-July last year, AB Linas Agro Group acquired controlling stakes in AB Kauno Grūdai, AB Kaišiadorių Paukštynas, AB Vilniaus Paukštynas, and related companies. After several months of performance analysis, planning of transformations has been started to strengthen each activity.
‘When we acquired AB Kauno Grūdai, we foresaw that there would be necessary transformations in the future because both teams compete in supplying goods to farmers. We don’t benefit from intra-company competition. For customers, the merging of the product baskets promised a better product offer; thus, in the autumn, the two companies started to cooperate in forming a consolidated assortment. We are continuing this path: separating the goods for farmers business from Kauno Grūdai and transferring it with all assets and teams to AB Linas Agro. We hope to keep all employees, as both merging teams are strong. The future combined team of goods and services for farmers should secure leadership in the agricultural business in the coming financial year. Instead, we wish to turn Kauno Grūdai into a flagship in food production, developing new nourishing food products,’ says Mažvydas Šileika, CFO of Linas Agro Group.
After transferring the business of goods for farmers from AB Kauno Grūdai to AB Linas Agro, Kauno Grūdai will become a shareholder of AB Linas Agro. Subsequently, it is planned to sell the assets of UAB Kauno Grūdai ir Partneriai, which owns grain elevators, to AB Linas Agro after valuation.
‘The transfer transaction is not a simple act. Kauno Grūdai is a public company, so we cannot simply take out one activity and transfer it to another company, we must consider the interests of its minority shareholders. We plan to carry out business valuations of several companies – AB Linas Agro, the crop-related business of AB Kauno Grūdai, and UAB Kauno Grūdai ir Partneriai, which owns grain elevators. With the valuations, which we entrust to the renowned audit company, we will be able to plan further actions, that will have to be firstly approved by the Board of AB Kauno Grūdai,’ says M. Šileika.
To optimize its corporate structure, AB Linas Agro Group is also carrying out more mergers of subsidiaries: it is currently merging four companies that operate grain elevators, and two land-owning companies. More transformations are foreseen in the future to simplify the structure of Linas Agro Group.
