Since 1994, Axzon has built a strong business model based on a vertically integrated value chain characterized by environmentally friendly production of crops and feed, breeding of pigs at the Group’s own farms, slaughtering and processing of meat as well as bioenergy production. The Group’s main activities are placed in subsidiaries Poldanor and Prime Food (Poland), Danosha (Ukraine) and Dan-Invest (Russia). As part of the efforts to create a stronger Group and sharpen the commercial focus on consumers, increasingly demanding the Group’s unique products, Axzon intends to change its name to Goodvalley.
The Board of Directors therefore convenes an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 26 February 2018 where the name change from Axzon to Goodvalley and necessary amendments of the company’s articles of association will be presented. The notice convening the Extraordinary General Meeting is attached.
“Axzon was founded on the idea of creating an efficient and sustainable agricultural business based on Danish knowledge and technology combined with the attractive conditions in our markets in Eastern Europe. Since the foundation in 1994, the Group’s subsidiaries have generated strong results and been able to attract, educate and retain the right employees, deliver high-quality products and simultaneously improve animal welfare and health, while reducing the impact on the environment. That is the legacy we will build on and strengthen further by establishing Goodvalley as one common name and brand,” said Anders Christen Obel, Chairman of Axzon.
Welcome to Goodvalley
The new name and brand will be implemented at Group level and across subsidiaries in the Polish, Ukrainian and Russian home markets, where the graphic expressions and language will be tailored to local customer and consumer preferences. The name change is completed based on a structured process and thorough market analyses conducted by Kunde & Co during 2017.
“Consumers in Poland, Ukraine and Russia are increasingly demanding quality food, which has been produced locally under conditions guaranteeing food safety and with respect for the environment and animal welfare. That is the very core of our business model, and the new name and brand will emphasize our documented product and production quality, allowing for Goodvalley’s sustainable products to become consumers’ preferred choice,” said Tom Axelgaard, CEO of Axzon.
The positioning of Goodvalley as a strong and consumer-oriented brand supports the Group’s focus on increasing its sales of processed quality products – including meat from pigs that have not been given GMO feed or treated with antibiotics – tailored to local demand and preferences. By means of further leveraging the Group’s unique value chain control from field to fork, Goodvalley is expected to be able to improve margins and reduce the exposure to fluctuations in market prices for live pigs.
The name change will be effective immediately following the expected approval at the Extraordinary General Meeting on 26 February 2018, and the stock exchange ticker for Axzon’s bonds listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen will change from ‘Axzon’ to ‘Goodvalley’ effective from the start of trading on 27 February 2018.
Contact
Tom Axelgaard, CEO, tel. +45 76 52 20 00 or e-mail: investor@axzon.eu
Axzon A/S
Vesterbrogade 4a, 5.sal
1620 København V
Tel. +45 76522000
CVR no.: 26438624
www.axzon.eu
Axzon at a glance
Axzon is an international producer of high quality pork products operating in Poland, Ukraine and Russia based on Danish production standards. The company is to a large extent self-sufficient and masters the whole production chain from field to fork, from growing crops for feed, breeding and slaughtering pigs including using the manure in biogas facilities to produce electricity and organic fertilizer for the fields. In Poland, Axzon is certified as CO2 neutral in the entire production chain by German TÜV and operates according to the highest standards in terms of animal welfare, transparency in the production and sustainable production methods.
