Maspex Group – the owner of brands such as Tymbark, Kubuś, Lubella, Łowicz, Krakus, Kotlin, Włocławek and one of the biggest companies in the food products segment in Central & Eastern Europe – announced today the signing of an agreement for the purchase of all Polish assets of Roust Corporation: CEDC International Sp. z o.o. and its subsidiary B2B Wine & Spirits sp.z o.o. The transaction will create the largest Polish food group with a turnover exceeding PLN 11 billion.
CEDC is a leader on the vodka market with a market share of over 47% (by volume) and the largest importer of foreign spirits in our country. It has an iconic and historical portfolio of leading vodka brands such as: Żubrówka (a legendary Polish brand with nearly 500 years of tradition, volume no. 3 on the global vodka market, present on 86 markets), Soplica (world no. 8), Absolwent and Bols. It is also a distributor of, among others Carlo Rossi, Frontera, Barefoot and Gancia wines and spirits: Grant’s, Glenfiddich and Tullamore D.E.W., Metaxa, Jȁgermeister, Remy Martin, Cointreau, Campari and Aperol. Production is carried out at production plants in Oborniki and Białystok. In 2020, the company generated a sales revenue of PLN 5.7 billion. Approximatly 10% of sales are made on foreign markets, and the company’s products are sold to almost 100 countries around the world. On the basis of CEDC company, Maspex plans to build another strong area of its activity based on the competences of the company’s employees, modern production facilities and unique brands. The transaction will be consummated upon obtaining the consent of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
Krzysztof Pawiński, co-owner and CEO of the Maspex Group: “We waited a long time for such a project. We strongly believed that one day we would be able to complete an acquisition that would significantly increase the scale of our business – it would double our turnover. We are entering a completely new, but very interesting segment of the market and expanding our portfolio with iconic Polish brands, including Żubrówka – the legendary Polish vodka, known all over the world. Their indisputable market power – position and knowledge, and the fact that they will be concentrated in one hand are other attributes of the transaction. This is our 20th acquisition – a beautiful consummation of 30 years of Maspex history”.
Roustam Tariko, main shareholder and Executive Chairman of the Board: “CEDC today is the result of hard work over the last 7 years and an extremely successful revitalization of CEDC business. By taking over the company in 2013 we started from the position of no. 2 (22.7% volume share in the market) to double our share (47%) by 2021 and achieve the position of the undisputed leader in Poland. Following the successful value creation journey of CEDC over the last 7 years, Roust Corporation has agreed to accept an offer to sell CEDC to a strategic investor, Maspex”.
In this transaction Maspex was supported by Rymarz-Zdort who provided legal services and by EY who provided financial and tax advisory. J.P. Morgan acted as the sole financial adviser to Roust Corporation on the transaction. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP acted as Roust Corporation legal counsel.
Maspex is the largest Polish private company in the food industry and one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s portfolio includes 67 brands and offers more than 2,300 sku, and its products are present in over 60 countries around the world. Tymbark, Kubuś, Lubella, Łowicz, Krakus, Kotlin, Puchatek, DecoMorreno, Cremona, Plusssz and La Festa, Relax, Bucovina, River, Queens, Olympos, Apenta and Vellingrad are mostly the market leaders and brands most appreciated in their categories by consumers in Poland and in the countries of CEE.
Products from the Maspex portfolio are manufactured in 16 modern plants in Poland and abroad. The company produces 1.8 billion litres of juices, nectars and beverages, over 240,000 tonnes of pasta, cereal and instant products and almost 150,000 tonnes of jams and preserves. Maspex focuses on organic growth and acquisitions. Each year, the company buys over 330,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables as well as 120,000 tonnes of cereals from the Polish farmers. Sales revenue in 2020 amounted to PLN 5.22 billion.