Karlovarské minerální vody will sell Pepsi in Slovakia
Czech soft drinks maker Karlovarské minerální vody (KMV; owned by Alessandro Pasquale) is acquiring PepsiCo’s subsidiaries in Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia with annual sales of €165m, 900 employees, and two production plants. The deal should be finalized in June 2018. Last year, KMV reported €315m in sales. After the acquisition, it will be the largest soft drinks firm in the three countries. KMV already makes and sells PepsiCo drinks (Pepsi, Mirinda, 7Up, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Lipton and Toma, plus Lay's potato chips and Cheetos) in Bulgaria. KMV’s brands include Mattoni, Aquila, Magnesia, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda and Hanácká Kyselka.
The Slovak subsidiary of PepsiCo posted a €0.4m loss in 2016, and its sales rose 8% to €33.4m. The loss stemmed from increased spending on marketing.
