The dispute over Germany's largest slaughterhouse Tönnies escalates. Because of the planned expansion to China, by the co-partner Robert Tönnies was apparently not notified, attacks the son of deceased in 1994 founder Bernd Tönnies his uncle Clemens Tönnies sharp. "I'm worried now that Clemens Tönnies could be ill with megalomania," says Robert Tönnies manager magazin.
"There are only two conclusions for the investment project in China: Either the advisory board or I was deceived, because the planned investment is on a scale that requires approval, and the management would have far exceeded their competencies, or my co-shareholder did Tönnies said that the alleged construction of a slaughterhouse and cutting factory in Russia opened a bear to the public. Robert Tönnies now announces that the topic will be "clarified" at the next advisory board meeting in October. Maybe he could even try to stop the project.
Clemens Tönnies wants to invest 500 million euros in China
Clemens Tönnies yesterday told the "Lebensmittel Zeitung" to set up a slaughter and cutting center in the Sichuan region together with the Chinese Dekon Group. The partners want to invest 500 million euros. There, initially two million pigs are to be slaughtered. The plant is to become the first production location of the Tönnies Group outside Europe. "We are proud to start a new chapter in the history of the company together with our partner of the Dekon Group," Clemens Tonnies said in a press release this Friday.
DPA
Battle of Butchers: Clemens Tönnies (r) and his nephew Robert have often met in court
According to the plans of Clemens Tönnies, a pig slaughterhouse with the capacity for initially two million animals is to be created as a first step together with the Chinese Dekon Group in the province of Sichuan. Later, the partners, each holding 50 percent, want to slaughter seven million pigs at the site each year. Construction should start in 2020. According to information from the "Lebensmittel Zeitung", Dekon specializes in the agricultural sector and already operates pig and poultry fattening systems in China.
The Tönnies Group is led by Clemens Tönnies, who is also chairman of the supervisory board of the football club Schalke 04 - but currently with dormant mandate. Around 16,000 employees worldwide work for Tönnies. In 2018, sales of pigs and cattle were 6.65 billion euros.
In Germany, business has stagnated for years and margins are falling. Growth is only possible through acquisitions. In 2015, Tönnies took over the Danish company Tican, expanding its business to Denmark, the UK and Poland. In the background, however, an increasingly destructive shareholder dispute between Clemens and his nephew Robert smolders around the company.