The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority has cleared the acqusition of C.P Trading Company by Nectar Limited.
While the acquisition has received regulatory clearance, Nectar tells WhosWho.mt that the transaction is still in its final operational stages.
The transaction was formally notified to the Office for Competition on 29th January. The deal involves Nectar acquiring part of CP Trading Company’s assets through a Transfer of Brands Agreement, specifically the importation and distribution rights of certain foodservice brands.
Following its review, the Office concluded that the acquisition would not lead to a substantial lessening of competition, noting that there is only a limited overlap between the two businesses and that their combined market share increase would remain negligible even under the narrowest market definition. As a result, the concentration qualified for simplified treatment under the Regulations and was cleared.
C.P. Trading Company is known locally for importing and distributing a portfolio of established foodservice brands catering to professional kitchens. Its range includes products such as Caputo flour, Pregel gelato ingredients and Debic dairy solutions. These products serve key categories across ambient, chilled and frozen food segments.
The acquisition relates to C.P. Trading’s established portfolio of foodservice brands, which includes a broad range of products serving the hospitality, catering and professional kitchen sectors.
Nectar itself has been operating in Malta for 35 years and imports a number of well-known consumer brands, including Poppies, Orbit gum and Aunt Mabel’s muffins. The acquisition therefore brings together two established operators within the local food importation and distribution landscape.
Nectar is already a main player across several segments of the food and beverage market, including hospitality and catering, and the move should therefore be viewed not as a move into a new sector, but as a deepening and strengthening of an existing and already strong market presence within HORECA, allowing Nectar to serve clients in a more comprehensive way.
Written By
Nicole Zammit
When she’s not writing articles at work or poetry at home, you’ll find her taking long walks in the countryside, pumping iron at the gym, caring for her farm animals, or spending quality time with family and friends. In short, she’s always on the go, drawing inspiration from the little things around her, and constantly striving to make the ordinary extraordinary.
