Pepsi buys a star

On January 2, American soft-drink maker PepsiCo announced that it had reached a deal to buy established Polish snack-food producer Star Foods. According to analysts, PepsiCo is looking to fortify its position in Poland's snack market, where its subsidiary, Frito-Lay, holds top spot in terms of revenues and profits.

"Bringing together Frito-Lay and Star Foods creates a company with a broad portfolio of products and a stronger distribution system, enabling us to better serve the needs of customers in Poland." Michael D. White, PepsiCo's International Chairman said. "It also represents progress in our strategic effort to build our position in snacks across Europe."

Star Foods was established in 1991 and quickly became one of the major players in the Polish snack market, holding the leading position for several years.

The acquisition includes all of Star Foods' snack brands as well as its manufacturing and distribution facilities around the country, the most important of which is located in Tomaszów Mazowiecki. Before the deal Star Foods was a private company owned by the Mitzalis family, Advent International, Copernicus Capital Partners and Cazolico. Star Foods officials refused to reveal any other details concerning the deal.