UOHS permits Kofola to buy Pivovary CZ, Holba and Zubr brands producer

Brno, March 5 (CTK) - Antitrust office UOHS has permitted the Kofola CeskoSlovensko group to buy a majority stake in the Pivovary CZ Group, which produces beer of the Holba, Zubr, and Litovel brands, the UOHS said in a press release.

It is also permitted to buy the Fontana company, which sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Czechia.

"The merger will not result in a significant distortion of competition. The decision is final," the UOHS said. The antitrust office started to inquire into the merger in December, examining in particular the shares of the merged firms in the soft drinks market and in the beer market, both in wholesale sales and in sales directly to restaurants and pubs.

Pivovary CZ Group is the fifth largest brewery group in the Czech Republic. It planned to exceed 800,000 hectolitres with its annual output for last year, more than a third of which goes for export. The breweries in Hanusovice, Prerov and Litovel employ nearly 500 people.

Pivovary CZ Group is owned by the Moravska pivovarska company. Kofola is buying 100 percent of the shares through the Pivovary Triangl company, which was founded in November. Kofola CeskoSlovensko holds 51 percent, the RSJ investment group holds 29 percent and the Usovsko company holds 20 percent.

Pivovary CZ Group will remain an independently managed pillar of Kofola's business, the company previously said. Rene Musila, one of the founders and COO of the Kofola group, will take over the management of the breweries upon completion of the acquisition.

Kofola is one of the leading soft drinks producers in Central Europe, with 11 production plants on five European markets and over 2,000 employees.

Its product brands include Kofola, Rajec, Korunni, Ondrasovka, Klastorna Kalcia, Jupi, Vinea and Semtex. The group also includes the UGO fresh and salad bars, Czech herbal tea maker Leros, Slovenian company Radenska and Croatian mineral water producer Studenac.

Kofola is majority owned by the Aetos company belonging to the Samaras family and other Kofola founders, Rene Musila and Tomas Jendrejek.

ham/er/tam

CZ0009000121
CZ0009008942