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The Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group

Lambert Dodard Chancereul is a family-owned agri-food Group and a European leader in poultry and processed products. Its ambition? Produce and sell locally with respect for the sector. With its decentralised organisation, the Group offers a simple and effective operational model, which is firmly rooted in the regions and is just as flexible and creative as a SME. Its success is based on its industrial expertise, its passion for a job well done and a strong commitment to sustainable development.

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The Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group

Lambert Dodard Chancereul is a family-owned agri-food Group and a European leader in poultry and processed products. Its ambition? Produce and sell locally with respect for the sector. With its decentralised organisation, the Group offers a simple and effective operational model, which is firmly rooted in the regions and is just as flexible and creative as a SME. Its success is based on its industrial expertise, its passion for a job well done and a strong commitment to sustainable development.

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The Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group

Lambert Dodard Chancereul is a family-owned agri-food Group and a European leader in poultry and processed products. Its ambition? Produce and sell locally with respect for the sector. With its decentralised organisation, the Group offers a simple and effective operational model, which is firmly rooted in the regions and is just as flexible and creative as a SME. Its success is based on its industrial expertise, its passion for a job well done and a strong commitment to sustainable development.

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Our key figures

Poultry
Poultry

French leader and one of the European leaders

1st for labels, 1st for duck, 1st for turkey, 1st for poultry-based products

Convenience
Convenience

No. 2 in France

1st for ready-cooked dish, 1st for Asian products, 2nd for sandwiches, pizzas and quiches

€5.8 billion
€5.8 billion

turnover

102 plants in Europe
102 plants in Europe

14 logistics centers (at 31/05/2023)

23,400
23,400

employees

€243 million
€243 million

of investment per year

€57 million
€57 million

bonus to employees each year (employer contributions and participation)

8,300
8,300

partner breeders in Europe including 6,800 in France

With a turnover of €5.8 billion in 2022-2023, 22% of which was generated internationally, the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group enjoys controlled, sustainable growth. With €299.9 million in current operating income, Lambert Dodard Chancereul is a solid Group able to invest nearly €243 million in its industrial tools and of innovating to prepare for the future, relying in particular on its 120 R&D employees. With 23,400 employees currently working at 102 production plants in France and Europe, the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group relies on a family shareholder scheme (more than 69.3% of the capital) that promotes stability. See our commitments

Our family history

The LAMBERT family start out on the local market.
1909
The LAMBERT family start out on the local market.
The Dodard-Chancereul company launches on the market.
1953
The Dodard-Chancereul company launches on the market.
The first team and the first “Lambert Volailles” premises on rue Pasteur in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.
1954
The first team and the first “Lambert Volailles” premises on rue Pasteur in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.
The “Lambert Volailles” slaughterplant.
1954
The “Lambert Volailles” slaughterplant.
The Loué market with “Lambert” poultry boxes.
1960
The Loué market with “Lambert” poultry boxes.
M. Huttepain and the first farmers under contract.
Années 60
M. Huttepain and the first farmers under contract.
The Lambert family is still present on the market.
1968
The Lambert family is still present on the market.
The Guillet family, another local player in the slaughter of poultry.
Années 70
The Guillet family, another local player in the slaughter of poultry.
Creation of “L.D.C.” created from merging of both “Lambert” and “Dodard-Chancereul” slaughterplants, in the Saint-Laurent plant in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the Group’s current headquarters.
1970
Creation of “L.D.C.” created from merging of both “Lambert” and “Dodard-Chancereul” slaughterplants, in the Saint-Laurent plant in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the Group’s current headquarters.
The inauguration with Mr. DODARD and Mr. CHANCEREUL and the first products.
1970
The inauguration with Mr. DODARD and Mr. CHANCEREUL and the first products.
The first collection lorries.
1976
The first collection lorries.
The start of box packing.
1978
The start of box packing.
Whole Loué fowl and the first poultry cuts.
1979
Whole Loué fowl and the first poultry cuts.
The family photo at the Lambert Dodard Chancereul 10th anniversary.
1980
The family photo at the Lambert Dodard Chancereul 10th anniversary.
The first Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group CEO, Rémy LAMBERT (on the right) and his successor Gérard CHANCEREUL (on the left).
1984
The first Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group CEO, Rémy LAMBERT (on the right) and his successor Gérard CHANCEREUL (on the left).
The LAMBERT, CHANCEREUL, GUILLET and HUTTEPAIN families still manage the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group.
2019
The LAMBERT, CHANCEREUL, GUILLET and HUTTEPAIN families still manage the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group.

The current CEO Denis LAMBERT (in the centre) and the Management Committee.

Since the 1950s, the Lambert family, based in Sablé-sur-Sarthe (Sarthe), and the Dodard Chancereul, settled in Saint-Denis-d’Anjou (Mayenne) were known for the quality of their poultry. Each family had a stall in the markets at Loué and Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe.

Geographic neighbours and professional twins, the two family companies both specialised in the slaughter of poultry and shared values and recognised know-how. In 1968 the merger project came into being. The idea was to develop together and to supports the growth of the poultry sector, which tied in with the development of mass distribution.  From the outset the families relied on their expertise in farm poultry.

Faced with the emergence of new consumer trends and and strengthened by their expertise in farm poultry, the two companies created Lambert Dodard Chancereul in 1970. The new factory, with a workforce of 90, was designed to meet new consumer expectations. With a turnover of €12 million, the Group developed and diversified its activity to include poultry cuts, processed poultry products, and later on the convenience market.

Milestones in the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group’s history

50 years later, the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group has a workforce of more than 23,500 and 93 production plants with a turnover of nearly €5.1 billion. This progression is due to organic and external growth and the development of our brands.

We draw real strength from this growth. Each acquisition is an opportunity to meet new people, to open up and to get new ideas. It also prompts us to ask questions and helps us to remain humble.

Thanks to the contribution of each of the companies that has joined the Group, and the people that form these companies, Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group has become a European leader in poultry and the second stakeholder on the convenience market in France.

Creation of Lambert Dodard Chancereul
1970
Creation of Lambert Dodard Chancereul

The “L.D.C.” union resulted from the merger of both “Lambert”, “Dodard” and “Chancereul” slaughterplants.

Slaughter of farm chickens: creation of
1981
Slaughter of farm chickens: creation of "LDC Sablé" and the Cavol plants

In 1981, the activity of slaughtering farm chickens and obtaining Label Rouge certification required the development of a new site, the Cavol, in the Loué area. At this time, Lambert Dodard Chancereul had a workforce of 400 and a turnover of €70 million.

Focus on processed products and convenience: creation of the convenience food division and acquisition of La Toque Angevine
1990
Focus on processed products and convenience: creation of the convenience food division and acquisition of La Toque Angevine

From 1990, Lambert Dodard Chancereul made the decision to focus on processed products by creating the processing products plant in response to new consumer expectations. Lambert Dodard Chancereul also continued its external growth with the acquisition of the La Toque Angevine company, thereby marking the beginnings of the convenience food division and activity for Lambert Dodard Chancereul.

Diversification: Acquisition of Drosed, Espri Restauration and merger with the Huttepain Group
2001
Diversification: Acquisition of Drosed, Espri Restauration and merger with the Huttepain Group

In 2001, the Group diversified: the internationalisation of its activity with the acquisition of Drosed (Poland), the development of the convenience activity with Espri Restauration and the rapprochement with the Huttepain family and group for upstream activity in the poultry sector. Since this time; the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group has overseen a proportion of its production from field to fork: grain collection and feed production, organisation of poultry farms and egg packaging.

Consolidation: Acquisition of the Marie and Maitre CoQ companies
2009
Consolidation: Acquisition of the Marie and Maitre CoQ companies

In 2009, the group changed scale and strengthened its Convenience Food Division with the acquisition of the Marie company, as well as its Poultry Division with the Arrivé – Maître Coq company.

Reconquest of the French market (food service, snacks...): Acquisition of Boscher Volailles and Robichon
2015
Reconquest of the French market (food service, snacks...): Acquisition of Boscher Volailles and Robichon

In 2015, the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group decided to reconquer the out-of-home catering and the intermediary food products markets by purchasing the Avril Group’s poultry sites. This purchase enabled Lambert Dodard Chancereul to meet the needs of out-of-home and food processing customers, and to take back market shares in France that were being lost to imports.

Further internationalisation with the acquisition of the Tranzit Group in Hungary
2018
Further internationalisation with the acquisition of the Tranzit Group in Hungary

In 2018, the Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group strengthened its internationalisation with the acquisition of the Tranzit Group in Hungary. Lambert Dodard Chancereul’s aim to continue the development of its “produce locally to sell locally” model, by offering products made from poultry that is hatched, reared and prepared in the country of origin.

Our project

Our landmark project is based on 3 key areas:

  • Feed consumers well with high quality, accessible, healthy and responsibly-produced products that contribute to the development of our regions,
  • Satisfy our customers’ needs in the long term by providing quality, service, proximity and innovation,
  • Ensure that everyone, whether they be employees, farmers or partners in the industry, feels fulfilled in their contact with the group by promoting an approach that focuses on benevolence, respect, listening and performance sharing.

In 2020, the Group set itself 4 commitments in response to the challenges of Sustainable Development with its “Acting with our regions” program: Sustainable farming, Living and working together, Respecting the nature and Providing healthy food.

Our values

Work well done
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Work well done

We like a job to be well done, well organised with concrete actions that make it possible to overcome daily problems through the involvement of management and employees.

Innovation
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Innovation

We have always created, innovated and invented across all areas: product, technical, social. We have always had the same goal: to improve balance in materials, quality and working conditions.

Responsibility
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Responsibility

Being responsible means taking action and making decisions in the interest of the company. It means investing in the future and in the safety and health of our employees, as well as the long-term sustainability of the Group whilst protecting the environment.

Respect
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Respect

This respect is the respect we have for our customers, employees and farmers in particular. Being respectful means being attentive, accepting one’s mistakes, promoting team work and developing our resources on the basis of our complementarity.

Performance
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Performance

Being effective means sharing good practices and driving continual improvement. It is also about promoting a results-based culture, whilst accepting that questioning is part of development.

Simplicity
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Simplicity

Humility is one of the founding notions behind the simplicity that characterises the Group. It is also important for everybody to be accessible, to get to the heart of the matter. And of course, keeping things simple is a question of common sense too.

Our business governance

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Our governance reflects LDC's two main characteristics:

From left to right: Stéphanie Laurent (SC Rémy Lambert), Loan Lu-Minh, Gilles Huttepain (Mancelle Huttepain Company), André Delion (President), Aurélie Royer, Philippe Pancher (Cafel), Violaine Grison (Sofiproteol), Monique Meneuvrier, Laurent Guillet, Patrice Chancereul (Vice President), Béatrice Bastien, Cécile Sanz.

Our governance reflects LDC's two main characteristics:

  • A majority family shareholder with a strong presence on the Supervisory Board under the chairmanship of Denis LAMBERT,
  • A tightened Executive Board, chaired by Philippe GELIN, fully focused on operational management and the achievement of growth and profitability objectives.

The Executive Board is vested with extensive powers with respect to third parties to act in all circumstances in the name of the Group, subject to the powers expressly attributed by law and the bylaws to the Supervisory Board and to Shareholders’ Meetings. It meets as often as the Group’s interests require. It is the Group’s decision-making and administrative organ.

Its missions:

  • Define Group strategy and follow its implementation,
  • Define the Group’s performance objectives (financial, commercial, operational, etc.), their roll-out by activity and the monitoring of their achievement,
  • Allocate the Group’s resources (human resources, financial resources, etc.),
  • Define the principles of organisation and its processes, to best serve customers and the development of skills.

The Executive Board works closely with the Management Committee, which is the forum for discussion and debate on the challenges facing the Group. Its composition guarantees the balanced representation of the Group’s various activity divisions.

The Supervisory Board oversees the management of the Group led by the Executive Board and reports thereon to the shareholders. It ensures the quality of information provided to shareholders and the markets. For more information, see the Supervisory Board’s rules and regulations.

The Supervisory Board has formed two committees – The Audit Committee and the Compensation Appointments Committee – whose role is to study and prepare the Board’s deliberations.

LDC’s Supervisory Board has thirteen members, seven men and six women. This respects the proportion of 40% members of each sex, as required by law.

LDC applies the recommendations of the Middlenext code, which is the corporate governance code to which it voluntarily refers. Five members of the Supervisory Board qualify as independent in accordance with the criteria set out in this code.

Middlenext code

Published in December 2009, then revised in 2016, the MIDDLENEXT governance code aims to provide listed companies with governance assessment tools compatible with their size, capital structure and history.

The code leaves sufficient flexibility in the rules of governance to adapt them to the realities of companies.

As this code was particularly well suited to the size of our company, we have been using since May 2010 to assess our governance.

To access the Middlenext code: Click here

LDC Supervisory Board rules and regulations

The purpose of this regulation is to specify the operating procedures of the Supervisory Board, to remind members of their various duties and to promote good governance practices.

Download the rules and regulations

Our organisation and our activities

Our organisation

Organisation of the Group

The Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group is currently based on decentralised organisation. The subsidiaries, which are organised around geographic centres, are autonomous, each headed by a site manager, which facilitates decision-making and action that is as close as possible to the expectations of the field. Teams are aware of their responsibilities and are therefore responsive and effective. Our family-based model offers the flexibility and creativity of a SME. Thanks to our transversal roles, ensuring consultancy, control, consistency and communication, we move forward in synergy and share best practices and experiences.

The Group consists of a multitude of companies each developing their project autonomously and in line with the Group strategy. Over the course of its history, the Group has developed its divisions by activity and by region to support its growth with an adapted and local organization that preserves decentralisation. The Group has therefore polarised its organisation around its two activities:

• For Poultry,

– The Upstream division, 22 plants and 11 production organisations,

– The Poultry Division: 52 plants. This division is divided into 7 entities: the “LDC TERRAVENIR” division, the “VDR” division, SBV, VOLENA, Maître CoQ, Cailles Robin, and the Hauts-de-France division,

– The International division: 16 plants.

• For Convenience:

– 12 plants. The division is made up of 6 entities : MarieMarie SurgelésAgisLa Toque AngevineRégalette et Espri Restauration.

The Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group also has 14 logistics centers, 13 of which are in France and 1 in Belgium.

The head office includes functional departments that support the subsidiaries: human resources, management control, the environment, the European processed products sector, the international sector, the poultry sector, IT, logistics, marketing and media, prevention, quality, research and development (R&D), occupational health and safety, technology and sustainable development. Within the regional divisions, the subsidiaries are increasingly developing local support roles.

 

 

Our organisation

Our plants

Lambert Dodard Chancereul Group activities are distributed over 93 plants across Europe, 16 plants for the Upstream division, 51 plants for Poultry division, 14 plants for the Export & International division and 12 for the Convenience food division. The Group also has 14 logistics centers.

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