Danish beverage company Royal Unibrew has expanded in the soft drinks sector with the acquisition of France’s Etablissements Geyer Fréres (EGF) for DKK 600 million ($94 million).
The purchase – which includes EGF brands such as Lorina craft lemonade, PureThé and InFreshhh – will give Unibrew increased access to the French and American soft drinks markets.
EGF has about 100 permanent employees and production facilities in Munster in north-east France. Royal Unibrew said the company has “a significant presence” in the French and US retail channels.
The company exports to about 40 countries on a minor scale, while exports to the US represent a significant part of the business. Overall, exports represent about 40% of its revenue. In 2017, the firm’s revenue was DKK 290 million ($45.4 million).
In a statement, Unibrew said: “The acquisition is in line with Royal Unibrew’s strategy of being a focused and strong regional beverage provider holding market-leading positions within beverages in the Nordic and Baltic countries, supplemented by strong niche positions in selected markets and the international malt beverage markets.”
The deal complements Royal Unibrew’s purchase last year of Campari’s Lemonsoda business, which consists of fruit-flavoured sodas Lemonsoda, Oransoda, Pelmosoda and Mojito Soda, grouped under the Freedea brand name, as well as the Crodo brands.
As part of the deal, Gruppo Campari and Royal Unibrew have entered into a multi-year manufacturing agreement, under which Royal Unibrew will continue to manufacture certain Gruppo Campari-owned products which are currently produced at the Crodo bottling facility.
Other subsidiaries of Royal Unibrew include Hartwall in Finland, Tauras in Lithuania and Albani Bryggerierne in Denmark.
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