January 30, 2014
Europe's shrimp giant - Heiploeg to be acquired by Parlevliet & Van der Plas
Dutch shrimp company Heiploeg B.V.- the European market leader in the import, processing and sale of shrimps will be relaunched under the name Heiploeg International B.V., after being acquired by international fishing and fish processing company Parlevliet & Van der Plas.
The Court of North Netherlands declared Heiploeg's Dutch activities bankrupt on January 28. Heiploeg had been suffering from a debt burden of €130 million (US$176.68 million) and has lost millions of Euros. The recent fine of €27 million (US$36.70 million) for its role in a massive European shrimp cartel imposed by the European Commission last November increased the financial pressure further.
With its new organisation, Heiploeg International will be better able to respond to fluctuating levels of activity as a result of seasonality or economic climate.
In total, Heiploeg employs 3,000 people worldwide, most of whom are in Morocco, India and Suriname. These units have been sold to the new owner. Across the board, the terms of employment at Heiploeg have been cut back and brought in line with the current market and similar companies.
Parlevliet & Van der Plas has its head office in The Netherlands and branches in Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Lithuania. The company was founded in 1949, when it began trading herrings in the Netherlands. Today, this family-owned company has 1,500 employees and operates its own trawlers all over the world. It is active in catching, trading and processing of many varieties of fish including herring, mackerel and cod.
