Nestlé S.A. has announced full ownership of Dreyer’s Grand Ice-Cream Holdings, an important milestone in the ambitious global ice-cream strategy it has pursued for over 10 years.

This follows the 2003 merger of Nestlé’s US ice-cream business with Dreyer’s which resulted in Nestlé owning 67 per cent of the combined company at the time. Nestlé, through the Dreyer’s business, has continued to gain market share in the US throughout the year, reaching 23.2 per cent in 2005 according to ACNielsen data.

Taking into account the proposed acquisition of Delta Ice- Cream in Greece announced last month, Nestlé has now achieved clear global leadership in ice-cream, with a 17.5 per cent world market share. Nestlé and Dreyer’s Grand Ice- Cream have achieved major success in the US market by deploying proprietary technologies to produce significant innovations.

Nestlé in Malta is present with its Motta and Nestlé Ice- Cream and with Antica Gelateria del Corso. While Nestlé Malta is responsible for the overall presence, performance and growth of these brands, during the last years it has entrusted Motta’s distribution in the hands of Alf Mizzi & Sons (marketing) and that of Antica Gelateria del Corso in the responsibility of PJ Sutters.

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman and CEO of Nestlé, said: “This recent development in the US is the culmination of a long-standing strategy to achieve leadership in the world’s largest ice-cream market. I am gratified that the Dreyer’s business has consistently translated technical innovations into tangible market share gains in the US. I am also very pleased with market share performance in other markets which, coupled with Dreyer’s success, has brought Nestlé to the global leadership position for the first time.”