To facilitate the development of a food processing business on the site of its former sugar refinery in Escaudoeuvres, in the north of France, Tereos has signed a memorandum of understanding with Agristo on August 28, 2023, in the presence of Roland Lescure, the French Minister of Industry.

The Belgian company Agristo intends to establish a facility for the manufacture of frozen potato products. By investing EUR350m and creating 350 jobs, new markets for regional manufacturers will be opened. Production will reportedly begin in the second part of 2027.

Tereos was compelled to announce the termination of sugar production activities at its Escaudoeuvres location in March due to a large drop in its cooperative members’ sugar beet surface acreage (down 20% in five years). As soon as this statement was made, the cooperative group did everything in its ability to support its employees, guarantee that a portion of the site was not abandoned, and immediately initiated an active search for an industrial partner to revitalize the local industry.

The cooperative’s commitments are taking shape after several months of investigation and discussion. A deal has been reached for the social assistance of the sugar factory’s employees, who have all been granted mobility solutions as well as significant support measures. Tereos has also confirmed that forty jobs (ten of which are temporary) will be retained at the site as part of its logistics and support activities, as well as as part of its agricultural services. The’re-industrialization’ segment, which became official on August 28, affirms the future ambitions for this historic property in Cambrésis.

“It’s good news for jobs, of course, but it’s also good news for regional agriculture, which can see new long-term market opportunities opening up and agribusiness developing. We’re delighted to see this tradition of agriculture winning continue. This is Tereos’ objective,” Gérard Clay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tereos, mentioned.

The project to re-industrialize the Escaudœuvres site, which will require the support of government departments to become a reality, will be divided into several phases. Between now and 2025, there will be a technical, administrative, and industrial authorization phase, which should be simplified because the project is part of a continuing agrifood business, a phase involving the dismantling of the existing plant and preparation of the site, which could begin in 2023, the start of construction in 2025 and a hoped-for production launch in 2027 (second half of the year).

With this agreement, Agristo and Tereos are writing a new chapter together for the Escaudœuvres site, a project that will bolster the region’s economic future.

The Escaudœuvres site, which has a 150-year history of producing sugar beet, will now be able to focus on potato production.

Tereos remains a major economic player in the Hauts-de-France region, with nine industrial and administrative sites employing more than 1,500 people. The cooperative will also play a major role in the Seine-Nord canal project via the multimodal platform at Nesle.