Italian coffee group Lavazza has submitted an offer to buy coffee rival Carte Noire, the French market leader with a 20 per cent share of the domestic market.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Italian daily La Repubblica said the bid was worth €800 million.
According to the terms of the offer, Lavazza would take control of the Carte Noire business within the European Economic Area (EEA) with the exception of Carte Noire instant coffee, T-Discs and out-of-home businesses.
The deal remains subject to approval by European authorities as well as French regulators and could be closed by the end of 2015 or the beginning of next year.
Under the terms of the deal Lavazza would acquire Carte Noire's coffee-making plant in Laverune in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, as well as the company’s in-home roast and ground coffee, filter pads and Nespresso-compatible capsules businesses.
Lavazza operates in 90 countries around the world and has a 45 per cent share of the Italian retail market.
Carte Noire is owned by Dutch-based Koninklijke Douwe Egberts.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic
