Acquisition of LemonSoda portfolio expands the position in Italy

Leading brand…

With the acquisition of Terme di Crodo, Royal Unibrew has taken an important new step in the Italian market. The name encompasses iconic soft drinks brands such as LemonSoda, OranSoda, PelmoSoda, Crodo Lisiel and Crodo Chinotto. LemonSoda is the market leader in the Italian market within the citrus category and is also the most well-known soft drink. This is due to its good taste, its high quality and its very long history dating almost 80 years back.

… supplementing existing portfolio

The LemonSoda brand and the relating modern production facilities in the north-western parts of Italy are a really good match for our existing activities in the Italian market. We have over many years developed a strong position in the beer market in the super-premium category with Ceres Stong Ale as the key brand, and we will now be able to offer consumers quality products within both the beer and soft drinks category, while significantly reinforcing our presence in the Italian market.

Fits our strategy well…

The acquisition is a natural part of our strategy to be a focused and regional beverage provider holding leading positions in the Nordic and Baltic countries, supplemented by considerable niche positions – such as in Italy where we are now more than doubling our business volume with two strong brands.

…and generates synergies

Commercially, we are envisaging good synergies between the LemonSoda products and our existing product portfolio as they are largely targeting the same consumer groups and are also distributed and marketed in the same way and through the same channels. This provides a good basis for achieving future growth in the total portfolio. The broader beverage portfolio and the higher volume are also expected to generate financial synergies as we will be able to leverage on our experience gained in other markets.

Worth knowing…

• The acquisition of Terme di Crodo and the LemonSoda activities from Gruppo Campari was finally realised on 2 January 2018.
• Revenue for 2016 amounted to DKK 245 million – LemonSoda accounted for approx. 2/3.
• LemonSoda and OranSoda hold very strong positions in both the on-trade and off-trade channel.
• LemonSoda and OranSoda have an awareness rate among target groups of just below 90.
• The LemonSoda products are made using water from a spring close to Terme di Crodo and juices from Italian fruits – and they are perceived as very refreshing quality products that may be enjoyed on their own or used as a drinks mixer.