GERMANY – Scandinavian co-operative Arla Foods is predicting strong growth in the German market in 2002.

The company, which has already made good progress in Germany in the past two years, will launch a range of new products backed by what it claims is the largest ever marketing campaign for European dairy products.

However, Arla German chief Henrik Stigker warned that expanding Arla’s sales would not be as easy as in previous years: “The emphatic growth in cheese sales that came from reaction to BSE and other meat scandals is wearing off now,” he said. “We expect a positive development still, but not so strong as before.”

Stigker estimated that Arla’s sales increase of in the German market in 2001 was 14%.

One of Arla’s strongest brands in Germany is its Buko cheese spread. The company sold 40 million units of Buko in Germany in 2001 and is rapidly closing in on the market leader, Philadelphia.

This success has been backed by solid sales of Arla’s more traditional Scandinavian cheeses and butter. These include products such as H