Mid Europa Partners is betting on Czech dietary supplements company Walmark with an undisclosed investment in exchange for a 50 per cent stake.
With revenues near €100m and 800 staff, Walmark is the number one independent vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements manufacturer in Central and Eastern Europe.
Mid Europa partner Matthew Strassberg said the company is positioned for future growth because of “rising disposable incomes, increasing awareness of the benefits of preventive medicine and supportive regulatory shifts favouring OTC medicines”.
Walmark recently launched a case against Naturpharma, claiming the competitor had copied the packaging of its Arthrostop product for its similarly labelled Arthroguard food supplement.
Bulgaria’s Commission for the Protection of Competition ruled in favour of Walmark on the grounds that it was misleading for consumers and Naturpharma was slapped with a €44,000 fine.
Mid Europa Partners earlier this month topped up its biggest dividend recap in Central and Eastern Europe since Lehman Brothers went under. Volksbank added €35m to the recap of T-Mobile Czech Republic, bringing the total to €400m.
