Hellers looks at acquisitions

Monday, 30 August 2010

Hellers Smallgoods wants to launch into the Asia-Pacific market in the next year or so with Malaysia the most likely destination for exports from the company's expanded Kaiapoi base.

Founder of the meat smallgoods business Todd Heller and Hellers managing director Nick Harris on Friday took Prime Minister John Key through an $18 million factory expansion to a total of 14,000 square metres.

Doubling the size of the plant brought all aspects of the Kaiapoi operation under one roof and would enable 'smart processing' of meat, Heller said.

The company had spent around $30m investing in the last three years with Hellers now employing 320 in Kaiapoi and another 130 in Auckland.

Further growth via acquisitions was a possibility, he said. 'We're talking to a couple (of parties) but I can't divulge at the moment.'

The processor makes more than three million sausages a week, and produces 90 million slices of bacon and 100,000 Christmas hams.

Hellers achieved revenues of $153m in the year to March 2010, and so far this year was matching sales versus the previous period.

Heller said product innovation was a focus, with seven new lines of sausages launched this year, and the appointment of a new product development manager. A rebrand of the business would focus on the heritage of Hellers as a butchery.