ATLANTIC GRUPA TAKES OVER STRAUSS ADRIATIC

On March 1 Atlantic Grupa will finalise transaction of acquiring Strauss Adriatic, the owner of Serbian coffee brands Doncafe and C kafa, which are now joining regional leaders Grand kafa and Barcaffé in a wider portfolio. Along with the brands, Atlantic Grupa takes over Strauss Adriatic's modern production facility in Šimanovci industrial zone, near Belgrade, and its 220 employees. The merger was previously conditionally approved by the Serbian Competition Agency.

„This acquisition confirms Atlantic Grupa's strategic disposition towards strengthening our core business, where coffee holds significant importance. I believe that all of us –businesses, management of both companies, employees, as well as market and consumers, can be content with the outcome of this transaction. As the regional market leader, we have always held ourselves accountable for category development across the region of Southeast Europe, and we intend to continue doing so. Above all, I want to extend a warm welcome into our system to Doncafé, C kafa, as well as new colleagues joining us on the way of growth and development ahead of us“, Mate Štetić, Atlantic Grupa's Vice president for strategic businesses Coffee and Snacks commented.

„We are happy to have found strategic partner for our Serbian coffee operation, one that is equally dedicated to the development of the company, our strong brands and employees, as well as the category itself. We are proud of our results in the years to date and convinced Atlantic Grupa will continue successfully developing integrated business on the Serbian market", concluded Siniša Daničić, the General Manager of Strauss Adriatic.

Atlantic Grupa intends to place considerable investments into its coffee business, developing both production technology and brands, product portfolio and communication, equally in retail and HoReCa segments. Developing its key categories (coffee, chocolate, sweet and salty snacks, savoury spreads and non-alcoholic beverages), organically and by acquisitions, is the foundation of Atlantic's growth strategy, and the latest acquisition makes for an important step on the way of its implementation. On top of that, it is an important contribution to growing coffee category in Serbia and the region, ultimately raising the regional industry's as well as the local brands' competitive positions.