Schwarz Group, the owner of Lidl and Kaufland, acquires a majority stake in the Romanian chain La Cocoș

The owner of Lidl and Kaufland, Germany's Schwarz Group, will acquire a 70% stake in Romanian retail chain La Cocoș, BalkanEngineer.com has learned from a report by Agerpres news agency. The deal will lay the foundation for a strategic partnership with founder Julian Nika, who will retain the remaining 30% stake and continue to manage the business.

“That La Cocoș will become part of the Schwarz Group signifies recognition of the efforts and performance of our entire team and is a clear sign of the potential of our model,” Nika said in an official press release.

The deal will not just be an acquisition, but a strategic alliance aimed at making La Cocoș the fourth important element within the group, together with Lidl, Kaufland and Schwarz Produktion. The plans are to expand La Cocoș's concept of low-price stores in Romania and at European level.

"La Cocoș's business model is impressive. Our goal is mutual learning, exchange of experience and joint development. We see huge potential in this format," commented Christian Groh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Schwarz Corporate Solutions.

La Cocoș was founded in 2014 and currently operates three stores in Ploiesti and Bucharest. Its model focuses on affordable prices, a wide product range and service to both end users (B2C) and small businesses (B2B). With this transaction, Schwarz Group not only expands its portfolio but also intends to create a new retail standard with growth potential across Europe.

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