Marine Harvest changes name, sees first 'Mowi' salmon in shops in early 2019

Austevoll Seafood ASA

13/11/2018 10:13

OSLO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Norway's Marine Harvest  MHG.OL ,
the world's biggest fish farmer, will change its name to Mowi
and also use the name for its premium salmon brand, the company
said in a strategy update on Tuesday.
    "The new name is building on our history and Mowi was the
name when we were established in 1964," Chief Executive
Alf-Helge Aarskog told Reuters.
    "Mowi is a short and catchy name which we believe will work
all over the world," he said.
    The company farms salmon in Chile, Scotland, Ireland, the
Faroe Islands, Iceland and Canada as well as Norway. While its
main markets are in Europe, the most significant sources of
growth are currently in Asia and North America.
    The first Mowi-branded salmon should be in the shops in
early 2019, Aarskog said, while estimated investment in the new
brand name would amount to 35 million euros ($39.31 million)
over the next two years.
    "Sales from the Mowi brand will increase gradually. It takes
time to build a new brand," he said.
    In 2025, sales of Mowi-branded salmon should exceed 1
billion euros, while the operating profit generated from the
brand should be at least 100 million euros higher than from more
basic salmon brands, the company said.
    "All our salmon will be good, but the Mowi brand salmon will
be the very best and top 25 percent in quality," Aarskog said.
    ($1 = 0.8903 euros)

 (Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord; Editing by)
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