Deal 5: Coca-Cola HBC Romania Legal Manager Raluca Alexandru on Acquisition of Stockday from Heineken

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On April 19, 2021, CEE Legal Matters reported that Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii had advised Coca-Cola HBC Romania on its acquisition of 50% of the share capital in the Stockday b2b e-commerce platform from Heineken Romania. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Raluca Alexandru, Legal Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Romania, to learn more about the deal.

CEEIHM: Tell us a bit about Coca-Cola’s history in Romania?

Raluca: This year means a lot for us: we are celebrating 30 years since the first Coca-Cola bottle was produced in Romania. Since 1995, we wrote a great story and we grew to be an amazing team of over 1.500 people, a team that delivers happiness in a bottle across the country. Our local history is about Romanians, about their journey after one of the most difficult times. Coca-Cola quickly became, and still remains, a symbol of optimism and togetherness. At Coca-Cola HBC we are dedicated to building strong and beneficial partnerships with all our partners, to ensure the availability of the products consumers need, when and where they need them, and to leave a better world behind us, for generations to come.

CEEIHM: Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii advised your company on its acquisition of 50% of the share capital in the Stockday platform. What made the platform attractive, from an investment standpoint?

Raluca: Coca-Cola HBC Romania is the leader of the beverage industry in Romania. We have almost 100.000 customers that we serve across the country. And we dedicate time to their businesses because we know that, only by working together, we will thrive and maintain growth. Our vision is to become our customers’ 24/7 beverage partner and our route-to-market strategy is based on efficiency and quality.

Stockday is the digital tool that brings us closer to achieve our vision and strategy. The tool provides our customers with 24/7 access to our products, promotions, and campaigns. They have permanent access to their deliveries and can monitor their performance. Our sales teams have more time to focus on understanding our customers' needs, create experiential activations, and increase consumer loyalty.

Working so closely with our partner Heineken Romania is another main reason for our choice to invest in Stockday. Our partnership is probably the most important pillar in Stockday's growth and we both are committed to continuing to develop it.

CEEIHM: What are Coca-Cola’s plans for the platform, following the acquisition?

Raluca: In the long run, we are devoted to growing the platform as a one-stop-shop. This means that our customers could access in Stockday the portfolios of more companies and order the products they need.

CEEIHM: What was Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii’s mandate on this deal?

Raluca: Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii provided general advice on the corporate and M&A aspects of the transaction, including due-diligence analysis, assistance in structuring the transaction, and corporate governance issues, as well as assistance in signing the transaction documents and during its closing. They also assisted on competition matters and in presenting the transaction to competition authorities in Romania.

CEEIHM: What made you choose Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii as your legal advisor?

Raluca: Our collaborations with Tuca Zbarcea & Asocitatii go way back and we were always very pleased with this partnership. Working in the FMCG industry, we must always respond quickly to external changes, to our partners, and to consumers. Being able to rely on them is helping us perform as a team and deliver quality projects on time.

Their knowledge and expertise are an asset we appreciate. Having Tuca Zbarcea & Asocitatii as part of the Stockday project was an easy choice and their input was valuable.