Deoleo sale remains contested as Dcoop and Coricelli compete

The sale of Deoleo, owner of major brands such as Carbonell, Koipe, and Hojiblanca, remains undecided as competing bids from Spanish and Italian entities vie for control. The Italian group Coricelli recently issued an ultimatum to Deoleo's shareholders to accept a 500 million euro offer and an exclusivity agreement, but the deadline passed without a consensus.

This lack of agreement provides a strategic opening for the Spanish cooperative Dcoop. Dcoop has offered 470 million euros for the shares held by investment funds CVC Capital Partners and Alchemy, who together control approximately 70% of the company. Dcoop aims to maintain Deoleo's Spanish identity and combat sector fraud through vertical integration, linking production from southern Spanish cooperatives directly to packaging and marketing.

In contrast, Coricelli's higher bid represents an international expansion strategy, potentially leveraging Deoleo's brands to strengthen its presence in markets like the United States. A third bidder, Aceites del Sur (Acesur), has also submitted an offer of 460 million euros. The final decision is expected in the coming weeks.