HOUSTON – Sysco Corp. signed an agreement to acquire Crossgar Foodservice, a privately-owned foodservice supplier with headquarters in County Down, Northern Ireland, through its subsidiary, Pallas Foods, which is based in Newcastle West, County Limerick.

The acquisition allows Sysco to expand its presence on the island of Ireland. Sysco acquired Pallas Foods in 2009. Both Crossgar Foodservice and Pallas Foods will retain their existing brand identities and management teams, according to Sysco.

"Crossgar Foodservice is a strong company with excellent customer relationships," said Mike Green, executive vice president and group president for Sysco. "This investment, along with the acquisition of Pallas Foods in 2009 represents our commitment to the Ireland market and provides us additional strategic opportunities."

Crossgar has four facilities in Northern Ireland. The company’s product portfolio includes poultry, meat, chilled, frozen, grocery and non-food items, according to Sysco. Crossgar’s products are sold throughout Great Britain and the island of Ireland.

"We are very pleased to join the Sysco family and to work with Pallas Foods to strengthen Sysco's operations across Ireland," said Gerald Bell, chairman of Crossgar Foodservice. "The transaction provides the business with a number of benefits, namely enhanced distribution and wider product choice for our customers. We look forward to providing the same great service to our customers and showing them an even broader line of quality-assured foodservice products."

Details of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to approval from the Competition Authority in the Republic of Ireland.