Germany's Intersnack buys Czech firms Canto Hradec Kralove and Perri Crisps & Snacks Tremosna

Intersnack of Germany, known on the Czech market for its Bohemia Chips, has acquired two Czech companies Canto Hradec Kralove and Perri Crisps & Snacks Tremosna, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote Monday.

"We believe our sales will rise to Kc2bn this year thanks to the acquisition,"Intersnack board chairman Lubomir Chvalovsky told the paper.

Last year's sales stood at Kc1.5bn.

Intersnack, which employs nearly 500 staff, entered the Czech market in 1992 having bought a potato chips production facility in the then agricultural cooperative JZD Choustnik.

Bohemia Chips have also been produced in Hungary and Slovakia.

Intersnack wants to preserve the Canto brand, MfD writes. The manufacture of products that have been produced by both companies will end, while other products will remain, said Chvalovsky.

The purchase price has not been disclosed.

Canto was originally owned by Lenka Francova and Martin Junek. Its profit in 2006 reached Kc37m on turnover exceeding Kc400m. The company has plants in Poland and Ukraine.

Perri Crisps & Snacks was bought by Intersnack from the Irish branch of Bank of Scotland, Irish firms Trouver and Flandergrove and from Ivo Habera.

Intersnack paid nearly EUR3m (about Kc75m) for the company, according to the Register of Companies, MfD says.

Perri Crisps & Snacks posted sales of almost Kc100m in 2006. MfD writes that Intersnack wants to produce cheaper chips for retail chains' private labels in the company.