McQueen, the corporate advisory firm specialising in the consumer sector, has hired Victor Scherrer, a senior figure in the French food industry, as a consultant.

The appointment reflects a belief that British food companies will want to diversify increasingly into France and Benelux to cushion the awesome buying power of UK supermarkets.

Mr Scherrer sits on the executive committee of Medef, the French employers’ federation. He recently stood down as President of Ania, the French association of food and drink industries.  He is a holder of the Legion d’Honneur.

Mr Scherrer said: "I believe the next few years will see a strong flow of cross-border M&A activity between the UK and the rest of Europe in the food and drink sectors."

Shaun Browne, one of McQueen’s four founding partners, said UK food companies may seek to extend into continental Europe to maximise their negotiating muscle, while also harvesting economies of scale in advertising and other areas.