Vivatis, one of the leading players on the Austrian charcuterie market with a business worth around 550 million euros, intends to enter the domestic market next year, by making an acquisition in the food industry sector.

"We do not want to make a greenfield investment, because it is far too risky. Next year, we intend to enter the Romanian market via an acquisition. We are not specifically targeting the market of charcuterie products, but companies from the overall food industry," stated Friedrich Seher, executive manager of Vivatis Holding, based in Linz, Austria.

Vivatis officials stated that acquisition targets include firmly established companies, which already have some experience in the domestic food industry. However, representatives for the Austrian group did not wish to specify the names of the companies on the acquisition list.

"We are intensely involved in exports, mostly to Eastern Europe, but also to Italy and Germany. Now our goal is to expand our business on the European market by setting up branches in other countries. That is why we are interested in several projects that will help us boost our company's business, although these projects are in an early assessment stage," said Seher.

The chief countries targeted by the Austrian company are Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia.

Vivatis attempted to enter the Romanian market two years ago, when it proposed a partnership with one of the biggest domestic charcuterie producers, Aldis Calarasi. However, Aldis turned down the deal.

Vivatis also had plans to set up a joint venture with the Bacau-based producer Agricola International, which would involve collecting surplus slaughterhouse material from the Bacau area, in order to provide the resources necessary for pet foods. "We have had several meetings with Vivatis regarding this joint venture, but