This time there is, for Pernigotti, a real negotiation, with a letter of intent signed by the parties. In the field there is Witor’s of Cremona, a historic chocolate company owned by Alessandro Benetton’s 21Invest, with two production plants in Italy, in Corte dei Frati (Cremona) and in Gorizia, 220 employees, about 80 million in revenues and a presence in over 70 countries. The first contacts date back to a few months ago, up to a letter of intent which sanctions the opening of a negotiation.
The unknowns of the operation, however, remain. The Cremona-based company is interested in taking over the historic brand of Italian chocolate, enhancing it and relaunching it thanks to a completely Made in Italy production and a commercial network also spread abroad. This is an industrial plan that must deal with the determination of the Toksoz family, owner of Pernigotti, who have always reiterated that they do not want to sell the brand. In the coming weeks, therefore, it will be necessary to understand if the conditions have changed and what will be the economic offer, not disclosed to date.
Witor’s would also like to guarantee a small production facility in Novi Ligure, for some historical references and to allow some workers to be able to return from layoffs. This is a very delicate issue given that the workers remaining in the company, in layoffs until June, are about eighty. If the operation goes through, therefore, there will still be a negative impact on employment at the local level to manage. Next week, March 30, a meeting is scheduled at the Mise between property and trade unions, who are expecting some official news regarding potential investors.
Pernigotti was sold to the Turks in 2013 with production divided between Italy and Turkey. The historic center in Novi Ligure, in the province of Alessandria, has suffered over the years from the lack of investments in automation and modernization, becoming in fact obsolete. There has never been a real relaunch of the brand and this led, in 2018, to the decision of the owners to close the Italian factory. On that occasion, the protests of the entire territory and the intermediation of the Government caused the game to reopen with a double result: on the one hand the sale of the ice cream business branch to Optima, on the other the commitment of the property to invest up to 3 million euros to modernize the production lines in the Novi Ligure chocolate factory.
In fact, today the chocolate factory is almost at a standstill, there was no production for the last Christmas season and it has also skipped next Easter. The trade unions and workers in recent months have denounced the risk that the property will end up transferring production completely to Turkey. The brand has been delisted by many customers and especially by large-scale distribution. It is in this difficult context that the preliminary letter of intent signed by Witor’s, known for Boero chocolates, fits.