New Maspex skin-care venture only a diversion from food and beverages

As part of a strategy to expand its business activities, food producer Maspex Wadowice Group has started producing a skin-care ointment. The move follows Maspex's acquisition in the first quarter of the year of a majority stake in Wadowice-based pharmaceuticals company Dermaphryt. Maspex officials stress, however, that the launch of the new product is only an experiment, and will not detract from the company's core activity, which is food and beverage production. Maspex has plans to introduce a new range of products and to promote a new brand, in an effort to increase its share of the market. Currently, the company produces 21% of all bottled and carton juices, beverages and nectars sold in Poland, but claims that it would view a 25% market share as satisfactory. In 2000, Maspex achieved profits of zl.859.4 million. (Puls Biznesu, p. 12) K.K.