Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland has agreed a deal to buy Dublin-based BDS Vending Solutions for an undisclosed sum.
BDS Vending was founded in 1993 and has a network of about 2,000 vending machines. It operates depots in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Sligo, Limerick and Wexford and also has a small operation in Northern Ireland.
It sells a range of different products, including cold beverages, hot beverages, snacks and a limited fresh food assortment.
Under the terms of today's deal, its two founders, David Mullan and Brian Berry, will continue to lead BDS Vending throughout the transition period.
Coca-Cola HBC produces global brands Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Appletiser and Schweppes as well as Irish brands Deep RiverRock and Fruice.
It said today's proposed acquisition is part of its strategy to enhance its route-to-market capabilities and will provide new opportunities across its cold and hot beverages and snacks portfolio.
"BDS Vending also brings proven technology and services, which will empower Coca-Cola HBC to develop further capabilities across its markets," it added.
Today's deal is subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and is anticipated to be completed over the coming months.
Davide Franzetti, General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland, said that BDS will provide it with a joint platform to build capabilities in its route-to-market, to offer its customers greater choice and to further enhance its consumer experience.
"In-line with our commitment to the vending industry over the past 30 years we feel it's the right time to have BDS Vending join forces with Coca-Cola HBC and transition our business model to become part of a larger group with a much wider geographic reach," BDS founders Davis Mullan and Brian Berry said.
"We have worked hard on innovation and our vending offering over the past three decades so bringing this model to the Coca-Cola HBC family will be an exciting journey," they added.
