Sale of Żubrówka and Absolwent vodka plant sparks distillers' interest

One of Poland's leading distilleries, Polmos Białystok, which produces the famous Żubrówka and Absolwent brands, is up for sale for around zł.500-600 million for an 80% stake. Last year the company earned more than zł.40 million and it is the country's largest single-plant vodka producer. With 24% of the market, it is second only to Sobieski, which has three factories. Absolwent is one of the world's 15 best-selling vodkas brands. The likely bidders include Janusz Palikot, owner of Polmos Lublin, the fourth largest vodka player in Poland, Pernod Ricard of France, which owns Polmos Poznań and the Wyborowa brand, and the Central European Distribution Corporation, a giant vodka distribution company, listed in the States. Palikot fancies his chances, as Polmos Lublin, which hardly produces any clear vodkas, is a good complement to Polmos Białystok. Meanwhile, the employees of the company are somewhat apprehensive of the privatization plans. "We are a strong, profitable company, which guarantees work and decent pay for its employees, while we know that privatization of state companies was not always good for them," explained company president Jan Małachowski. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p.15) T.J.