In the west of France, Lactalis purchased a considerable number of soft cheese dairies.

The main acquisitions were in Preval in 1973, the Charchigne cheese dairy in Mayenne, the Renault cheese dairy in Doue la Fontaine and the takeover of Lepetit in Calvados in 1978.

The implementation of milk quotas accentuated these trends and turned the Group into a French market leader.

The purchase of Atlalait in 1980 opened a new collection zone in the Charente Poitou region.

In 1981 the American cheese dairy Belmont became the Group's first industrial plant outside France.

In 1982 an agreement was struck with Nestle to take over all its cheese-based activities in France for a 3-year period. The same year saw the company enter the Brie market with the acquisition of the Martin Collet cheese dairy, and the purchase from Nestle of the Villalba cheese dairy in Spain.

In 1987, the Turlock cheese dairy in California was inaugurated.

In 1988 the company acquired Solaisud of Montauban that opened a collection zone in the south-west of France and gave the Group total control over the Lactel brand.

The Californian Atlantis Dairy was purchased in 1989, as well as the Ekabe cheese dairy in Luxembourg.

In 1990 the Group acquired the Group Bridel to complete its growth policy at a national level. This latest purchase consolidated Lactalis' solid base in France.

They saw the Group develop internationally.

The first stage came in 1990, when Lactalis linked up with the Belgian cooperative Walhorn Molkereï and purchased the British company D. Brough.

The acquisition of Valmont and the Girod cheese dairy in 1991 completed the Group's "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" PDO cheese platter.

A decisive step was taken in 1992 with the acquisition of the Société des Caves de Roquefort. Not only did this make the Group number one for PDO cheeses in France, but also turned Lactalis into a significant player on the American market through its subsidiary Sorrento, a specialist in Italian-style cheeses.

In 1994, an agreement was drawn up with the Unicoolait cooperative in Sarrebourg.

In 1996, as well as acquiring the Marcillat company, the Group entered into two significant agreements abroad that saw them take over the Polser cooperative in Siemiatycze, Poland and a Ukrainian company based in Nikolaiev on the Black Sea coast.

In 1998 the purchase of Nestle's Italian subsidiary, Locatelli, gave the Group a foothold in the Italian mozzarella market. In France, the acquisition of Ladhuie added milk-based desserts to the range of chilled products. At the end of the year the purchase of the American company Concord Marketing reinforced the Group's position in the market for Italian cheeses.

This was complemented by the acquisition of Simplot Dairy in early 1999, which turned the Group into a major player in the United States' market.

The early years saw a strengthening of the Group's international activities.

The Group's position in the French soft cheese market was strengthened by the takeover of the Bel Group's activities in the sector in 2002. The following year, the purchase of the Kraft Group's Italian cheese-making subsidiary gave Lactalis the number two position in the Italian market, while in France the Group diversified its portfolio with the purchase of Cema, a specialist in butter and spreads.

2004 was a particularly significant year, with three major operations taking place outside France. These were the purchase of the Spanish branch of the French milk group 3A, the purchase of Food Master International, an acquisition that opened up the markets of Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine and the acquisition of the Scottish company McLelland, a Cheddar specialist with a good position in the British market. In addition, there were two other purchases : the Kurow cooperative in Poland and the American company Rondele. In France, the Group bought the company Pochat, giving it a solid market leadership in Reblochon.

Buyout of Dukat, leader on the dairy market.