Interest in Albalact on the rise

2010-03-11

Interest in the acquisition of Albalact, a Romanian diary producer, is mounting, according to Raul Ciurtin, the president and shareholder of the company. It is believed that, among the interested buyers are Mueller, Tnuva and Lactalis. Mr Ciurtin, however, has not confirmed the identity of any of the companies interested in the purchase of Albalact, stating only that the list of interested parties features both investment funds and strategic players.
As previously reported by PMR, Albalact was put up for sale in October 2009. One of the motivating factors behind the decision to sell was the mounting pressure being applied by multinational companies, who have assumed a dominant position within the industry (see the news brief Albalact looking for buyer in the Central Europe Retail Update for 14 October 2009 for more details on this story).
Albalact is the producer of the milk brand Zuzu and yoghurt brand Fulga. The company has recently been the subject of much takeover speculation.
The company is the largest independent dairy producer on the Romanian market, which is estimated to be worth €1.1bn.