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Kofola ČeskoSlovensko a.s. acquires 100% of shares in VENDING s.r.o., a company based in Banská Bystrica, which manages and administers ASO VENDING s.r.o. It is a family-owned company with more than 30 years of history, which is the leader of the Slovak vending market. It operates coffee, food and beverage vending machines along with a range of complementary and customised solutions. The merger of the companies creates logical synergies not only in the soft drinks market.

The founder and owner of ASO VENDING, Miroslav Korček, who has been building the company since 1992 with his wife Soňa, sees Kofola’s entry into the vending business as an important step for the future development of the company: ”Joining with a partner like Kofola is the next natural step in our operations. It will allow us to take advantage of a number of mutual synergies and bring opportunities for further growth. We are pleased to be joining with a partner with the same family background, sympathetic direction and tradition that the Kofola brand represents.”

Daniel Buryš, CEO of Kofola ČeskoSlovensko, comments similarly on the acquisition, „At Kofola, we are always looking for ways to effectively strengthen our business and create conditions for the best possible availability of our products. We consider vending to be a very promising sales channel,” explains Daniel Buryš, adding: “We believe that thanks to Kofola’s entry into the company, we will be able to find mutual synergies that will contribute to the further expansion of both companies. We share with the Korček family company not only a philosophy and a sustainable approach to business, but also a focus on the coffee segment.”

Both companies have been focusing on coffee sales in recent years – ASO VENDING offers a wide range of coffee machines, while Kofola is developing its own coffee brands Café Reserva and Trepallini and, as a co-owner of coffee plantations in Colombia, is fullfilling its vision of working with coffee from bean to product.

The agreement on the transfer of 100% of the shares was signed by Mr and Mrs Korček and representatives of Kofola ČeskoSlovensko on Tuesday 18 March. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Slovak Competition Authority (Protimonopolný úrad Slovenskej republiky) and is expected to be completed in Q2 2025. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the price of the acquisition.

ASO VENDING operates approximately 8,000 vending machines in Slovakia, more than half of which are coffee vending machines. In addition to beverage vending machines, it also offers food vending machines and modern catering and refreshment solutions for companies. It employs around 180 people and uses more than 600 external helpers to operate the machines. It serves more than 152,000 customers daily. It provides professional 24-hour service to all vending locations. In 2024, the Companies achieved a turnover of over EUR 18 million and an EBITDA of over EUR 2 million.

For more information, please contact:
Jana Ptačinská Jirátová
Communications Manager CZ&SK
Kofola ČeskoSlovensko a.s.
tel: +420 604 153 396
[email protected]

About Kofola Group

The Kofola Group is one of the leading soft drinks producers with 14 production sites in five European markets. It employs nearly 3,000 people in total. The Group’s portfolio in Czechoslovakia includes the traditional cola drink with the original Kofola recipe, Rajec spring water, Kláštorná Kalcia, Korunní and Ondrášovka mineral waters, Vinea grape drink, Jupí range of syrups, Jupík children’s drink, Semtex energy drink and other traditional Czechoslovak brands. It produces and distributes Royal Crown Cola under licence. The Kofola Group also includes UGO, a producer of fresh juices and salads, which operates Freshbars and Salateries, and LEROS, a traditional Czech producer of herbal blends and teas. LEROS’ portfolio also includes the premium Café Reserva coffee and premium Ceylon Dilmah teas. Under the wings of this fragrant pillar, Kofola has also launched its new own brand of Italian coffee Trepallini. In 2015, the Slovenian company RADENSKA became a member of the group. In 2016, the Kofola Group bought the Croatian mineral water producer Studenac. Kofola Group’s latest acquisition was the purchase of three breweries Holba, Zubr and Litovel, which are combined into the company Pivovary CZ Group, of which Kofola is the majority owner.