The industrial holding company CIR (Italy) in which the De Benedetti family holds a 47% stake, has sold its agri-food subsidiary SOCABLE (sweeteners, sugar-free sweets and drinks, turnover of over EUR 130 million in 2000, 400 members of staff) to the Dutch company CSM (turnover around EUR 2.6 billion in 2000, workforce of 13,000) for around EUR 132 million including the repayment of EUR 41 million in debt. The sell-off means that CIR will not longer have any agri-food operations.