Multiple little birdies have told me that DFA has almost inked a deal to buy out Dean foods. They are in the last stages with their lawyers and will present to the courts on February 10th. Now that doesn't mean that there won't be plant closures. But it does mean that at least we're going to get bought.
On a different note I wish all my fellow Dean foods workers good luck and I hope that most plants will be retained.
You called it ! You have anymore information so far
As noted below, DFA is also experiencing some financial strains as demonstrated by their recent announcement of closing their Rochester Minnesota facility.
Packing out is for s—ers
I’d argue that 99.9% of drivers are not worth keeping. They don’t even load the shelf anymore...sit in their trucks and sleep most of the time
Anyone "not worth keeping gone"...LOL...I'd argue that almost anyone in management that would have been worth keeping is already gone. But to be fair, a few of the ones that would have been worth keeping by Dean Foods left to go to work for DFA.
Dfa will call the shots anyone in management not worth keeping us gone
Company in financial trouble merging with a company in even worse financial trouble that has already filed Chapter 11? Wow, that sounds like a winning proposition that won't end in another bankruptcy. Only worse idea would be allowing Dean Foods upper management a significant role in running the merged company.
It’s a merger not a buyout.......just needs to get approved
Its probable that the management wants a particular buyer to come in, why else would they tell everyone they were working to get out of the situation with a new debt revolver and not looking at a sale.
I think they have another buyer in mind and want the company in chapter 7.
My guess is some out of country buyer at below market prices.
I heard that Dean foods and dfa CEO were in California together speaking to customers in n an urge to get them to stay with Dean opds as it transitions to DFA. I also heard that the dfa deal is one reason we did the reorganization.
So Walmart will be supplying all the schools with milk? Been southeast Colorado's milk supplier 30 years with meadow gold dairy and I've got to see this! Sales haven't declined like Dean foods claims! A huge lie to cover their inability of management decisions. That's just a small problem of their huge mistakes!
Why would any company buy Deans in Ch 11 now when they can wait a month or two and buy Deans for pennies on the dollar after Deans files Ch 7? Any CEO can see that they can save a plethora of money by waiting it out and acquiring Deans in a fire sale.
DFA is a answer, but not THE answer. I would suspect they want to get a foothold before walmart tries to take over. Dairy is not completely dead. Liquid milk is a concern since it is declining steadily but other products like yogurt and cheese ect are up. Cream is at a premium price. Im waiting to see if other buyers try to step in. Walmart could be having it's hands full running their own plant before worrying about trying to buy anything else...they got deep pockets, but not alot of sense.
“There's no need to keep all the milk plants running. MILK SALES ARE DECLINING.”
Blaming the Dean Foods downfall on overall declining milk consumption is a lie that CEO after CEO used to try and placate shareholders whenever earnings weren’t what was predicted and that lie has now been picked up by the press. Yes, overall consumption is down and had an impact, but the number of plants that Dean Foods shut down over the last 5 years more than offset the decline in consumption. Our main problems were years of dumb decisions that led to massive debt, a lack of diversification of products, decisions that were made that led to customers either opening their own dairy plants or taking their business to our competitors, and repeatedly failing to take into account the true increases in distribution costs whenever a plant was closed.
Fluid milk plants may be a risky investment, but low margins are a bigger factor in that risk than declining consumption.
It's been stated from multiple sources at this is that a possible outcome because the antitrust conflict of interest and in the list goes on and on and on it be nice but probably most likely will not happen
A little birdie also told me you ride the short bus to work everyday
At least the plants where DFA already operates would have to be divested to comply with the antitrust laws
DFA is a shady company look at all the groups of farmers that left the cooperative and look at all the plants DFA purchased for an "undisclosed sum"lol
There's no need to keep all the milk plants running. MILK SALES ARE DECLINING. who do you think will suddenly start buying more milk? It's a losing proposition
Why can't DFA buy about 35-40 plants, but just not where they already operate (like Kemps in Minn.)? If so, some of Dean HQ stays intact because they don't run Kemps out of KC.
Dont believe it !!!
From an employee perspective, getting sold to DFA better than being shut down, but probably not the best (or worst) thing that could happen. While not in as bad a financial shape as Dean Foods, DFA is supposedly already pretty heavily in debt itself. So getting sold to DFA might just be kicking the can down the road for a few years.
But like others have said, I just don't see a sale of more than a small number of plants to DFA passing anti-trust. And if DFA agrees in principal to buy more than a small number, it might be many more months of uncertainty before the DOJ decides the anti-trust issue.
DFA would be lucky to get 6-10 plants
It will not pass antitrust.