Family shareholder dispute at commodity trader Louis Dreyfus Company close to resolution

A long-running family shareholder dispute at one of the world's biggest agricultural commodity traders Louis Dreyfus Company is close to being resolved.

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus said her family trust Akira had secured the funding needed to buy out other family members.

Louis-Dreyfus, the widow of Robert Louis Dreyfus, whose family founded the business in 1851, has sought to increase her stake since her husband's death in 2009.

The deal would take her family trust's stake in Louis Dreyfus Holding, LDC's holding company, to 96.6 per cent from 80 per cent – in a buy out estimated at up to $900m (£685m).

The family shareholders battle began in 2015 when members of the family exercised a long-standing option to force the Russian-born heiress to buy their shares.

But the parties disagreed over the value of the shares and a private arbitration was needed to settle the dispute.

“I am very pleased to have completed this process, reconfirming my commitment to safeguarding the Louis-Dreyfus heritage and shaping its long-term future,” Margarita Louis-Dreyfus said.

“With a stable ownership structure secured, we are well positioned to accelerate the execution of our growth strategy,” she added.

She confirmed the company would stick to its dividend policy of paying 50 per cent net earnings to shareholders and would keep “all options open” when it came to strategic partnerships as she took almost full control.

She said: “Now, we can proceed to the next stage of our long-term vision, which is sustainable growth.

“We have a highly experienced management team in place and I am fully confident that we can deliver according to expectations.”