Acquisition announced
Lactalis acquires Cathedral City and 4 other brands (2026)
Lactalis announced the acquisition of Cathedral City and 4 other brands on 14 August 2026 for £988 million; the deal is announced.[1]
Saputo agreed to sell its United Kingdom operations, Saputo Dairy UK, to Lactalis for an enterprise value of about £988 million. The business includes Cathedral City, the best-selling cheddar in Britain, along with Davidstow, Wensleydale, Clover and Country Life, which Saputo gained with Dairy Crest in 2019. Coming months after Lactalis bought Fonterra's Anchor and Mainland, it would make the French family group the owner of the leading British cheddar as well.
Recorded as announced; closing is expected by the end of March 2027. Utterly Butterly is not named among the brands in the sale and is not listed here. Saputo remains the owner until closing.
Deal facts
- Announced
- Expected close
- Pending
- Value
- £988 million (enterprise value)
- Buyer
- Lactalis
- Seller
- Saputo
- Assets
- Cathedral City, Wensleydale Creamery, Davidstow, Clover, Country Life
- Regulatory review
- None recorded
Who owns these brands today?
- Cathedral City — owned by Saputo since 2019
- Wensleydale Creamery — owned by Saputo since 2021
- Davidstow — owned by Saputo since 2019
- Clover — owned by Saputo since 2019
- Country Life — owned by Saputo since 2019
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Saputo Enters Agreement to Sell its United Kingdom Operations — Saputo Inc., Official press release, published 14 August 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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