LDC

What LDC does

LDC SA (Lambert Dodard Chancereul) is a French family-controlled holding company and one of Europe's largest poultry and convenience-food producers. Founded in 1968 from the merger of the Lambert, Dodard, and Chancereul families, listed on Euronext Paris (ticker LOUP) since November 1995, and headquartered in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France, the group operates four reporting divisions: Volaille France (slaughtering, butchering, and processed poultry under brands such as Le Gaulois, Loué, Maître CoQ, and Doux), Traiteur / Convenience Food (ready meals, pizzas, sandwiches, Asian cuisine under Marie and Pierre Martinet), Amont France (upstream poultry farming—hatcheries, feed, and farmer partnerships through a network of more than 8,000 partner farms), and Export & International (operations in Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Spain, Romania, the UK, and Germany). Underlying technology centers on industrial poultry processing, HACCP-based food safety systems, 15+ Label Rouge and AOC/AOP certifications, and four laboratories (two COFRAC-accredited) for quality and traceability control. R&D is staffed by 120+ employees running approximately 2,000 projects and launching roughly 200 products annually.

The group serves three primary B2B channels: traditional retail / grande distribution (French and European supermarket chains), food service / catering (restaurants, hotels, and institutional catering via the RHD/Horeca segment), and food processing customers. Revenue mechanics are dominated by one-time B2B sales of branded and private-label packaged poultry and prepared foods through negotiated commercial contracts with retail and food-service buyers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. LDC generates more than 26% of revenue from export and international operations and employs approximately 28,500 people across 130+ sites and 17 logistics platforms in Europe. As of FY 2025-2026 it reported €7.2 billion in revenue, €427 million in current operating profit, and €347 million in annual industrial investment.

The group's growth model is acquisition-heavy: between 2024 and 2026 LDC completed or announced six transactions—Indykpol (Poland, 2024), European Convenience Food GmbH (Germany, 2024), Routhiau (France, 2024), Pierre Martinet (France, 2025), Gressingham / Green Label Holdings (UK, 2025), and France Poultry (Saudi-owned France-headquartered poultry export business, 2026)—with a greenfield slaughterhouse planned by 2028. Family ownership remains the controlling interest, with more than 69% of capital held by founding and partner families and a significant employee shareholder base; governance is exercised through a Directoire (Executive Board) and Conseil de Surveillance (Supervisory Board).

Name

LDC

Legal name

LDC

Website

https://ldc.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

LDC is a French family-controlled holding company and European poultry leader, operating four divisions—poultry, convenience food, upstream farming, and international export—across 130+ sites serving retail, foodservice, and food processing customers with €7.2B in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Poultry Processing and Convenience Foods

NAICS

Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (11232), Turkey Production (112330), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Beverage DTC (CRAFACAD), Butcher Box / DTC Meat & Seafood Delivery (AFAIANAD)

Keywords

• Poultry processing
• Convenience foods
• Ready meals
• Prepared foods
• Food manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sablé-sur-sarthe

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Poultry Products: Revenue from poultry products including whole poultry, cuts, processed products (cordon bleu, breaded products, cold meats), and ready-made meals. Core business segment.
2. Convenience Food / Traiteur Products: Revenue from ready-made meals, pizzas, sandwiches, quiches, pies, Asian products, and other convenience food items.
3. International & Export: More than 26% of revenue realized from export and international operations across European markets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LDC is a French poultry and convenience food group that breeds, processes, and markets poultry, ready meals, and prepared food products under multiple owned brands (Le Gaulois, Loué, Maître CoQ, Marie, Pierre Martinet, Drosed, Goldenfood, Doux) for sale to retail chains, food-service operators, and industrial customers across Europe. Operations span four divisions - Volaille France, Traiteur, Amont France (upstream/breeding), and International - supported by 123+ production sites and a vertically integrated supply chain.

Product overview

LDC is a leading French food group and European poultry leader operating four main divisions: Poultry France (slaughtering, butchering, processed poultry), Convenience Food (ready meals, pizzas, sandwiches, Asian products), Upstream France (hatcheries, feed, farmer partnerships), and Export & International (operations in Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Spain). The portfolio includes major French brands (Le Gaulois, Loué, Maître CoQ, Marie, Pierre Martinet), international brands (Drosed in Poland, Goldenfood in Hungary, Doux globally), and recently acquired entities (Gressingham Foods in UK, Indykpol in Poland). The company employs over 28,500 people across 130+ sites with €7.2 billion in revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Gaulois: French heritage poultry brand - 100% hatched, reared and prepared in France with wide variety of products
• Loué
• Maître CoQ
• Marie
• Poule et Toque
• Reghalal
• Regalette
• Canard Passion
• Pierre Martinet
• Traditions d'Asie
• Nature & Respect
• Drosed
• Goldenfood
• Doux

Products and services

• Le Gaulois Flagship French poultry brand offering whole chickens, cuts, and processed poultry products for retail and food-service customers.
• Loué Premium poultry brand positioned around quality labels including Label Rouge, organic, and free-range production, targeting premium retail tiers.
• Maître CoQ National poultry brand offering whole birds, cuts, and processed poultry products for French retail and food-service markets.
• Marie Ready-prepared meals brand under LDC's Traiteur division, offering a range of prepared dishes for retail customers.
• Pierre Martinet Salads and convenience food brand under LDC's Traiteur division, offering prepared salads and chilled convenience products for retail.
• Drosed Polish poultry brand operating within LDC's International/Export division, supplying poultry products to the Polish market.
• Goldenfood Ready meals brand within LDC's convenience food portfolio, supplying prepared dishes to retail and food-service customers.
• Doux Poultry brand within LDC's portfolio, supplying whole and processed poultry products.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Almunajem Group (Saudi Arabia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026LDC plans to acquire France Poultry export business from Saudi Arabia's Almunajem Group. The deal aims to shift France Poultry's focus away from Gulf markets and involves preparations for a new poultry slaughterhouse in France, expected to be operational by 2028.
• Green Label Holdings (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025LDC acquired a majority stake in Green Label Holdings, owner of the Gressingham poultry brand, based in the United Kingdom. The acquisition involves Green Label's poultry production operations across East Anglia, employing around 700 staff.
• Pierre Martinet GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025LDC concluded the acquisition of the Pierre Martinet Group, a major player in the convenience food sector, particularly Asian products.
• Routhiau GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 December 2024The French competition authority (Autorité de la concurrence) cleared the acquisition of the Routhiau group by LDC group.
• Bramble Foods (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Bramble Foods, a manufacturer of a wide range of food products, is supported by LDC as it seeks to grow organically and through acquisitions. The company recently received backing to expand its product range and manufacturing capabilities.
• Indykpol (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024LDC completed the acquisition of Indykpol SA, a leading Polish turkey producer. The acquisition enhances LDC's presence in the Polish poultry market and expands its product range. Indykpol was integrated into LDC's International division from August 1, 2024.
• Les Fermiers de LouécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Les Fermiers de Loué cooperative since 1958 for Label Rouge and organic poultry products. Fermiers de Loué operates 11 wind turbines and 50,000 m² of photovoltaic panels, making Loué the first food brand self-sufficient in electricity through renewable energies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• PHW Group (Wiesenhof): German poultry group and one of Europe's largest poultry producers under the Wiesenhof brand, with vertically integrated farming, processing, and convenience products. Highly comparable to LDC on integrated European poultry model, brand-led retail strategy, and focus on quality labels and animal welfare.
• Moy Park: UK and Ireland-based poultry processor (owned by Pilgrim's Pride/JBS) supplying fresh chicken, ready meals, and value-added poultry to European retail and food service. Direct peer to LDC's Volaille France and Traiteur divisions with similar quality certifications and farmer-partner supply model.
• Plukon Food Group: Netherlands-headquartered European poultry processor supplying fresh and frozen chicken across Benelux, Germany, UK, and other EU markets. Directly comparable to LDC in product mix (fresh poultry, processed products, ready meals), European multi-country footprint, and B2B retail/food-service GTM.
• Bell Food Group: Swiss-listed convenience food and meat group operating across Switzerland and other European markets with poultry, charcuterie, and ready meals. Comparable to LDC in multi-country European footprint, mix of fresh and convenience protein, and B2B retail focus.
• 2 Sisters Food Group: One of the UK's largest food manufacturers with significant poultry, ready meals, and pizza operations supplying major UK grocers. Closely comparable to LDC in vertically integrated poultry processing, convenience food manufacturing, and reliance on a few large retail customers.

Broad incumbents

• JBS S.A. Brazilian-based global protein leader with poultry (Seara), beef, pork, and prepared foods operations worldwide, including ownership of Moy Park. Comparable to LDC as a diversified, multi-protein processor with European poultry exposure and a major convenience food agenda.
• Tyson Foods: US-listed global protein giant operating large-scale chicken, beef, and pork businesses and a major prepared foods platform. Comparable to LDC in scale of poultry processing, branded protein portfolio, and convenience food expansion, but with a global rather than European footprint.
• Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF): Thai-listed, vertically integrated agri-food conglomerate producing poultry, swine, aquaculture, and ready meals across Asia and Europe. Comparable to LDC in integrated feed-to-plate poultry model, branded retail products, and convenience food growth, though operating in different geographies.

Regional players

• Bigard Group: France's largest beef and processed meat company, operating across French beef, pork, and prepared meal categories for retail and food service. Comparable to LDC in B2B French protein processing scale, retail private label and brand strategy, and convenience food (traiteur) positioning.
• Terrena: French agricultural cooperative with poultry, meat, and dairy operations under brands such as Loué (partner of LDC) and Galliance. Comparable to LDC on French poultry market positioning, farmer cooperative supply model, and Label Rouge / premium positioning, though structured as a cooperative.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/767509

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A22 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LDC