Podravka again in negotiations with Aleva from Novi Knezevac

The new management of Croatia's Podravka will restart the negotiations with Aleva from Novi Knezevac on possible acquisition or strategic partnership, Blic reports.

Zvonimir Mrsic, the chairman of Podravka's Managing Board, said that that company was interested in investing in Serbia, mainly in the construction of new factories or the acquisition of existing ones. Negotiations on the construction of a joint factory with Aleva started last summer, but they were soon halted.

The talks will most probably start again thanks to the mediation of the company Magra, which is owned by former Croatian Prime Minister Mate Granic. Whether an agreement will be reached depends on Aleva's owner Hristivoje Milosevic, who does not want to speak about the sale, but only about a strategic partnership.

Podravka had also been interested in Centroproizvod until it was taken over by Nestle. It has been speculated that Podravka wants to take over Bambi as well. People at Salford, which manages Bambi, claim that that company is for sale, but that they are not negotiating with Croats.