Retail Chain Hruška Acquisition by Central European Retail Holding Approved by ÚOHS

The large retail chain Hruška, which operates retail stores mostly in Moravia, is changing owners. The Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (ÚOHS) agreed to acquire the company by Central European Retail Holding (CERH), which is a subsidiary of the Hungarian investment group Oriens.

Construction without negative impact on the market

According to the ÚOHS, the merger of the two companies will not adversely affect economic competition on the food and drug market in the Czech Republic. The decision of the office is final.

CERH operates in the field of retail and wholesale of goods used on a daily basis, such as food, drugstores, personal hygiene products, household goods and hosiery. In the Czech Republic, through the acquisition of Flosman in 2023, they gained exclusive control over Pramen CZ and it also manages the franchise network of retail stores Flop, Potravyny CZ and Flop Top.

Hruška with 422 stores is changing hands

Hruška operates 422 retail stores, mainly in Moravia. The current owners of the chain are Pavel Hruzík (40%), Jana Škrabalová and Jarmila Plevová (both 30% each).

Details of the acquisition, such as the purchase price or the closing date of the transaction, have not yet been disclosed. We expect to hear about them in the coming weeks.

It is not yet clear what effect the change of ownership will have on the employees of the Hruška chain. CERH said in a press release that they intend to “respect the existing working relationship” and “develop Hruška’s operations in line with his own strategy”.

Photo: Shutterstock

Change in context

The acquisition of Hruška by CERH is another example of consolidation in the food and drug store market in the Czech Republic. In recent years, several acquisitions have been made where smaller chains have been bought by larger players, such as Kaufland, Tesco or Albert.

Decision

The change of owner of the Hruška chain is an important event on the Czech food and drug market. It is not yet clear what the impact will be for users and employees, but more is expected to be learned in the coming weeks.

Photo: Mojehruska, source: UOHS, Economic newspapers