Coca-Cola HBC’s plan to buy Irish vending machines company BDS Vending Solutions has been approved by the State’s competition watchdog, a year after the deal was announced.
The Competition and Consumer Protection (CCPC) had moved last September to launch a so-called phase two investigation into the transaction, amid concerns that the deal could result in a substantial lessening of competition in the Republic.
However, both sides to the accord subsequently managed to appease such competition regulators. The financial details of the purchase agreement have not been disclosed.
“Significant additional information was provided by both parties during the course of the investigation, such that the CCPC is satisfied that the deal can proceed,” the authority said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that it will publish its full determination within 60 working days.
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Coca-Cola HBC, a Switzerland-headquartered bottler of Coca-Cola Company products, agreed the multimillion-euro transaction through a subsidiary in Northern Ireland.
BDS Vending, founded in 1993, is a well-established food and drink vending services business in Ireland with a fleet of approximately 2,000 vending machines. It was founded by David Mullan and Brian Berry, who had agreed to lead the business through the ownership change.
Coca-Cola HBC is mainly in the business of the bottling and distribution of a range of drinks but also offers full-service vending solutions to customers, including the installation, operation and servicing of vending machines. BDS Vending, which is based in Dublin, offers full vending solutions to its customers, including machine sales, supply, operation, servicing and customer support services.
Atlanta, Georgia-based Coca-Cola Company holds a 20 per cent stake in Coca-Cola HBC.
Coca-Cola HBC is due to report full-year results on Thursday. It previously said that its Irish sparkling drinks volumes fell by “mid single digits” in the first half of 2024, while energy products delivered “high single digit” growth on tough comparatives. However, still drinks sold in the Republic declined by high single digits, driven by water.
Despite its impact on volumes it said the introduction of the deposit return scheme in Ireland as well as in Hungary was “encouraging to see”, adding that it will continue to support the launch of “well-designed” schemes to ensure high packaging collection rates.
