Croatian wholesaler and distributor Orbico Group has taken over the distribution of the world's leading cereal producer, Kellogg's, in 11 Central and Eastern European countries.

Besides Croatia, Orbico will distribute Kellogg's products in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia -- markets with a total population of 150 million.

As part of the agreement signed after two years of negotiations, Orbico Group will also distribute Pringles crisps in the aforementioned markets.

In a recent interview for Croatian daily Poslovni Dnevnik, Orbico Group CEO Branko Rogli? said that 2014 was one of the most successful years for the company, achieving HRK 1.07 billion (€139.6 million) in revenues, an increase of HRK 150 million (€19.6 million) on last year's result.

Additionally, Orbico Group took over Navo Polska Grupa Dystrybucyjna (PGD), a leading Polish consumer-goods distributor, strengthening its presence in the local retail market.

Orbico will end the year as the fifth biggest company in Croatia in revenue terms, moving up two places, compared to 2013. Rogli? is targeting revenue of HRK 1.50 billion (€195.7 million) over the next three years.

Besides distributing foreign goods locally, Orbico is also planning to export products from the former Yugoslavia to global markets.

With this goal in mind, the company has teamed up with 68 Croatian producers, 15 Slovenian producers and four producers from Bosnia and Herzegovina to distribute its products in the 20+ countries where Orbico operates. The product list includes wine, water, juice, pasta and meat products, as well as natural products of organic origin, such as teas, natural sweeteners and the like.

Orbico Group distributes food and non-food consumer products from leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Philip Morris, Mattel and Shell. Its business strategy is to ensure the lowest distribution cost, from storage to placement on store shelves.

@ 2014 ESM - European Supermarket Magazine