This growth coincides with the company’s recent £72 million investment in the UK and helps reassure the industry of Arla’s long-term commitment to continuing to build its dairy businesses in the UK.
The Managing Director of Arla Foods UK Tomas Pietrangeli said: “Making innovative and inherently natural dairy products, produced responsibly and sustainably, enables us to continue to deliver in an ever-increasing consumer driven grocery market.” Mr Pietrangeli also stated that increased revenue has meant Arla are in a stronger position to deliver their 2020 Good Growth Strategy which focuses on targeting younger and more digitally able shoppers as well as modernising the perception of dairy.
Arla brands delivering the greatest revenue growth in 2017 included Lurpak, growing by 9%, Anchor by 16%, and the Arla brand which grew by 18%.
National Dairy Board Chairman Michael Oakes said: “We welcome this positive news from Arla which signals the strength of farmer-owned cooperative models and their ability to be able to drive growth whilst faced with a volatile global market, a weak currency and uncertainty surrounding Brexit negotiations.
As the UK’s biggest milk buyer it is reassuring to the industry as a whole that Arla are committed to remaining in the UK market and investing to create future growth. Increased revenue should also help mitigate Arla farmers from the more severe effects of volatile milk prices and prevent a return to 2016 lows.”