The members of the Emperia Holding Group of Companies - one of the largest Polish FMCG retail and wholesale groups - concluded an agreement for acquisition of 14 outlets of the Zatoka chain owned by Zatoka S.A. in Ostróda, POLAND. The acquisition consists in the takeover of selected assets necessary to operate the retail outlets, including the personnel.
The Zatoka retail chain includes medium-sized and large supermarkets located in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Region of Poland.
The Zatoka chain takeover by Emperia Holding is yet another step in the process of consolidation of the Polish retail market and consistent implementation of the strategy pursued by the group which has already acquired as many as nine companies in 2007.
“Further acquisitions are part of the strategy of Emperia Holding. We seek to continue the rapid growth, both organic and based on mergers and acquisitions. Our talks with partners who are interested in joining Emperia Holding are well under way” – said Artur Kawa, Chairman of Management Board of Emperia Holding S.A.
In October Emperia Holding incorporated a Euro Sklep S.A. chain, the total of 258 outlets in southern Poland. In November the company was joined by the Polka chain of integrated grocery stores located in the Podlaskie and Świętokrzyskie Region of Poland.
In October 2007, Emperia completed the second public offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange of over PLN 230 million. The capital raised will finance acquisitions of smaller and larger FMCG sector players. The value of acquisition expenditures in 2007-2008 will total over PLN 200 million. The aggregate investment outlays of Emperia Holding in 2007-2008, including the intensive organic growth of the holding, are projected at nearly PLN 500 million.
In the third quarter of 2007, Emperia Holding S.A. generated PLN 1.21 billion in revenues, up by 241.8 percent on last year. The company’s net profit totalled PLN 15.5 million, up by 150 percent on Q3 2006. The cumulative revenues after three quarters of 2007 stand at PLN 3.38 billion (up by 232.5 percent on the three quarters of 2006 at PLN 1.02 billion), with net profit reaching PLN 64.8 million (up by 222.4 percent).
Group Highlights:
Emperia Holding is the seventh largest retail/wholesale company in Poland, 44th on Rzeczpospolita 500 List and 39th on Polityka’s Five Hundred list in 2006.
Emperia Holding has been consistently pursuing its strategy of consolidation of the FMCG retail and wholesale market in Poland. Following acquisition in 2006 of the BOS Group (56 branches and 81 outlets in eastern and north-western Poland), in July this year, the group incorporated Społem Tychy (36 retail outlets in the Śląskie Region), and in September the Centrum companies (13 retail outlets in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Region) and Maro-Markety (18 retail outlets in Wielkopolskie and Opolskie Regions). In June the decision was made to acquire 100% of shares in the wholesale operations of Sydo in Wrocław and Alpaga Xema in Poznań. In October Euro Sklep S.A. was incorporated (258 retail outlets, franchises and proprietary locations in the Śląsk, Małopolska and Opolszczyzna regions of Poland), and in November Emperia Holding acquired shares in the Polka chain (70 retail locations in the Podlaskie and Świętokrzyskie Regions). The group is planning further acquisitions and its talks with partners interested in joining Emperia Holding are well under way.
The operations of Emperia Holding S.A. are divided into two businesses: the retail business and the wholesale (distribution) business, employing a workforce of over 10 000.
The retail business comprises the following chains:
Stokrotka – 107 supermarkets, including 3 Stokrotka Premium deli supermarkets;
Groszek – 554 franchise outlets;
Lewiatan Podlasie – 143 outlets;
Jaskółka and Milea – 32 outlets;
Społem Tychy – 32 outlets;
Centrum – 13 outlets;
Maro-Markety – 18 outlets, operating under the name of Lewiatan Podlasie;
Euro Sklepy – 258 outlets;
Polka – 70 outlets.
The wholesale (distribution) business is comprised of 9 subsidiaries (Eldorado, BOS, DLS, Sygel-Jool, DEF, Express Podlaski, Sydo, Alpaga-Xema and an importing and exporting arm, Arsenal). These subsidiaries operate 68 distribution branches, including 58 cash&carry locations, totalling some 232,000 sq. m in area.