Private-equity and -credit investor CEECAT Capital has acquired a 51.5% stake in Serbian neighbourhood grocery store chain Gomex.
The investment in Gomex is the first in Serbia for CEECAT Capital, which has also opened a new office in Belgrade, to source and execute further M&A deals in the region.
It will enable Gomex to accelerate its growth and expansion plans in Serbia, capitalising on its strong brand and network.
As a result of the deal, the SEAF South Balkan Fund will exit the Serbian market after selling its shareholding in Gomex to CEECAT Capital.
Gomex founder Goran Kovačević remains as a minority shareholder (48.5%) and chairman of the supervisory board.
'National Leader In Grocery Retail'
Commenting on the deal, CEECAT Capital partner Anthony Stalker said that the investor plans to “create the means for Gomex to fulfil its potential to emerge as the national leader in grocery retail in the neighbourhood/convenience format”.
Kovačević pointed out that the arrival of a new partner will ensure financial stability, “with the aim of achieving the status of a national retail chain that would operate in over 500 locations in Serbia in the next five years.”
Established in 1997 in Zrenjanin, Gomex is a modern retail network focusing on the ‘everyday fresh’ concept and the neighbourhood/convenience store format.
Thanks to the investment from the SEAF South Balkan Fund in 2007, Gomex successfully expanded into the Northern Serbian region of Vojvodina, in addition to establishing a footprint in Central Serbia.
Gomex has around 2,500 employees and more than 190 retail stores spread across Serbia.
It has developed tools that reward loyalty and frequent shopping via its own loyalty application.
Read More: Gomex Opens New Supermarkets In Serbia
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