Kofola sales up 15% in 2007

Czech non-alcoholic drinks producer Kofola had Kc4.553bn sales in Central Europe last year, its sales in the Czech Republic jumped by 32.2 percent to Kc3.035bn.

 The growth came mainly thanks to the
product portfolio's expansion and innovation. Among strategic steps,
start of a merger with Polish drinks company Hoop was very important
for us. The merger continues as planned and will be completed at the
turn of April and May," the group's CFO Simona Novakova said.

The group invested over Kc670m last
year, compared with Kc300m a year earlier. Kofola had 1,370 employees
in the year, 10 percent more than in 2006.

Kofola, the flagship of the group with
the same name, is second on the Czech cola drinks market. Its market
share reached 25 percent last year, according to a poll of the AC
Nielsen agency.

In terms of sales, Kofola is number
three on the Czech market, behind Coca Cola and Karlovarske mineralni
vody, and ranks among the most important non-alcoholic drinks in
Central Europe.

Kofola emerged through privatisation of
Nealko Olomouc in 1993. It is operating in the markets in the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, and is also exporting
products to other countries.

The subsidiaries are managed by Kofola
Holding based in Ostrava. The group is owned by the family of Greek
native Kostas Samaras.