The "Bel" group

Résumé du document

The Bel group is a French familial company created by Léon and Jules Bel in 1865. These days the Bel group is the leading producer of cheese products worldwide and is the leading maker of processed cheese in Europe. Present in 125 countries, the group is a major international company which success is due to the fame of its worldwide brands such as La vache qui rit® or Babybel®, its multinational brands such as Apericube® or Port-Salut® and its national brands such as Kaukana® in the United States or Maredsous® in Belgium. Parallel to this activity of producing cheese –that represents 90% of its turnover-, the group is also developing two other activities : Bel Food service whose products target the professionals of agribusiness or catering and Bel Industry, specialized in the transformation of by-products such as whey, for agribusiness industries.

The success of the company can be explained by an emphasis on innovation in :

technologies : Bel is the first company who has invented the food-processing of the
triangular portion.

marketing and advertisement : Bel is a pioneer in advertisement. The company has succeeded in creating strong brands and with its likable red cow -the famous laughing cow- it has launched the first French cheese brand.

concept and products : with its mini-portions, Bel has invented a new way of eating cheese –anywhere and at anytime.

Extraits

[...] Generic Strategies 3. Competitive advantage 4. Value Chain 2. Strategic intention 1. Organisational purpose 2. Governance 1. Structure of the group 2. Corporate governance 3. A redefinition of the organization 3. [...]

[...] ii) Fight against malnutrition and obesity Facing social plagues, the Bel group has taken measures to fight obesity and malnutrition. This translates into the launch of low-fat ranges of its products and into the definition of minimum or maximum content of essential nutrients fat, calcium, proteins, vitamins- that its products contain. For example, since 2000, the content of salt in La vache qui rit® has decreased by 12%. The measures also translate into a higher transparency on the products; in each country, the consumer can get detailed nutritional information of any product. [...]

[...] They also control human and strategic resources. Employees and Consumers are also powerful: in order to survive, the consumers must be kept satisfied while employees must be aware of the strategy of the firm. The Government, Suppliers and Distributors play a less important role Strategic choices 1. SBU's Bel Fromageries: conception, production and export of processed cheeses, soft cheeses and hard cheeses, processed cream cheeses, unripened cheeses for general consumers. Bel Foodservice offers a range of portions for social gatherings, a line of ingredients cheeses for institutional and commercial restaurants, and for food processors. [...]

[...] - People are more looking forward for light products. - The cheese industry is not affected by seasonal factors - Consumerism is not systematically the same around the world : some regions are in crisis while others are thriving. - People are looking for practical packaging to take snacks with them. - People are aiming to eat healthy food. - new era of cheese” which is a new way of eating cheese: it can be eaten at any time in the day in particular as morning and afternoon snacks for children. [...]

[...] This means encouraging employees to feel concerned about the expansion of the group. That is why Bel has focused on individual careers and has developed programs based on personal competences, career development and training. The five values defined by the group remain the key-drivers of employees' performances -ethics, innovation, enthusiasm, competence and cohesion. However, these days, the group well as its competitors- is facing protests from milk producers, who complain about milk cut prices. Numerous French factories have been blocked in November, particularly the Bel's factories in Sablé, Evron and Vendôme because of the price cut of 30 decided by the group. [...]