Coffee maker Lavazza has made a binding offer to buy France’s MaxiCoffee, it said on Monday, as it seeks to bolster its presence in the second-largest European economy as well as in e-commerce.
“Our strategy is to support the further development of MaxiCoffee, which will maintain its profile as a multi-brand e-commerce platform and remain independent,” Lavazza’s Chief Executive Officer Antonio Baravalle was quoted as saying by Reuters.
MaxiCoffee was established in 2007 and, at present, has nearly 1,500 employees. The company is jointly owned by its founder Christophe Brancato, Italy’s private equity group 21 Invest as well as other investors and has 60 retail outlets. MaxiCoffee also operates via an online platform.
The company gathers, selects and shares more than 350 brands and more than 8000 references from the coffee world, including products, machines, materials, concepts and equipment, according to its website.