Agrokor

Ljubljana/Kostel – The gaming company Elektronček Group, owned by entrepreneur Joc Pečečnik, has announced the acquisition of the company Costella. Costella’s owner, the Swiss company Agrokor, which is in liquidation, put the water bottling company, whose most valuable asset is a water extraction concession valid until 2035, up for sale at the end of last year.

Ljubljana – Dnevnik reports on Tuesday that after the Slovenian retailer Mercator had been transformed from a joint stock company into a limited liability company at the beginning of the month, the procedure has been launched in the region to merge certain business functions of Mercator and the Croatian retail chain of Konzum.

Ljubljana – The Swiss company Agrokor, which is in liquidation, is soliciting interest in the purchase of the Costella water bottling company, whose most valuable asset is a water extraction concession valid until 2035. The first non-binding bids for the company are expected in the coming days, the newspaper Finance reported on Thursday.

Ljubljana – Retail group Mercator posted a net profit of EUR 10.6 million in the first half of the year after reporting a loss of EUR 69 million in the same period a year ago due to property revaluation and writedowns. Sales revenue was down 0.4% to EUR 1.1 billion.

Ljubljana/Zagreb – Croatia’s Fortenova Group increased its share in Slovenian retail group Mercator from 88.1% to 89.11% during a takeover bid for the remaining 724,764 Mercator shares Fortenova does not already own. A total of 154 Mercator shareholders accepted Fortenova’s offer of EUR 36 per share in cash.

Ljubljana – Fortenova, a group based in Croatia’s Zagreb, published on Wednesday a takeover bid for the remaining 724,764 shares of Slovenian retail group Mercator it does not already own. It is offering to pay EUR 36 per share in cash.

The bid is open for 29 days, that is until 23 June, unless it is extended, the group said in the Slovenian newspaper Delo on Wednesday.

Zagreb – The Croatian group Fortenova and Slovenian retailer Mercator have signed a contract under which the latter will get a EUR 385 million loan to restructure its debt to creditor banks, in a move that further enables the transfer of the Slovenian retailer from the bankrupt former owner Agrokor to Fortenova.

Belgrade – Serbia’s competition protection authority has cleared the transfer of Slovenian retailer Mercator to Croatian group Fortenova, thus clearing yet another hurdle for the step that follows the bankruptcy of Fortenova’s predecessor Agrokor. Fortenova expects the transfer to be completed at the end of the month.

Ljubljana – The retail group Mercator saw its sales revenue rise by 2.1% to EUR 1.6 billion in the first nine months compared to the same period last year, but the group operated with a net loss, which climbed to EUR 69m, shows a report released on Thursday.

Plenkovic has developed a strategy of silence on many of the scandals that have embroiled his own ministers and party colleagues, to good effect, Mamic said.

"If you look at his position, this is effective and efficient communication," she said. "He gives short answers, because obviously the outcome of all these cases could go in any direction."