Clover dismisses boycott threat over R4.8bn buy offer
Pro-Palestinian activists threaten to disrupt dairy producer's operations
Clover has brushed aside threats to boycott its products by opponents of the R4.8bn proposed buyout of the group. A consortium of companies, led by Israel-based Central Bottling Company (CBC), has offered Clover shareholders R25 per share in a deal seen as supportive of government’s foreign direct investment drive. “We cannot select our shareholders,” Clover CEO Johann Vorster said on Tuesday in response to the criticism about the composition of the consortium. Clover management’s focus was building the company’s brands and increasing market share, he said. “The mother (Clover) brand is well-known and consumers are loyal to our various brands,” he said.
Clover’s brands include Tropika, Krush and Super M. The transaction has attracted criticism from pro-Palestinian quarters due to its Israeli connection. Trade union Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and Palestinian solidarity organisation BDS SA have come out strongly against the deal. BDS SA threatened to boycott Clover pro...
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