Ascendant advises Bosnia’s Merkur operations on the leasing of its sites to AMKO Komerc doo
21st November 2011, Sarajevo
Food retailing in Bosnia makes another move towards consolidation. Ascendant advises Bosnia’s Merkur operations on the leasing of its sites to AMKO Komerc doo.
The deal was announced between the owners of the retail chain Merkur and AMKO Komerc doo. In this deal AMKO has agreed to take over a number of sites owned by Merkur including: more than 10.000 sq mtrs of retail space..
This move represents a consolidation of the local players in a sector that is becoming increasingly competitive. The regional players such as Mercator and Konzum have continued to maintain their presence in the market, but are increasingly being challenged by local players such as AMKO and Bingo and Škafa who are successfully maintaining their local chain concept.
Merkur has resisted selling itself to the regional players preferring to remain true to its original marketing position of a leading local chain. The tie up with AMKO provides for scale and a reach that will make the new operation a real challenge to the larger players.
Merkur was exclusively advised on the transaction by Ascendant Capital Advisors, partners in IMAP and the leading M&A house for mid-caps in South East Europe.
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