CCL LOOKS TO THE UK COFFEE MARKET WITH PERCOL ACQUISITION

KBS Corporate Director Andrew Dodd has advised on the sale of Percol, a UK coffee brand, to CCL Products (India) Ltd (Continental Coffee).

The Percol brand was acquired by Löfbergs in 2013 as the Swedish coffee roaster looked to enhance its UK market presence.

Hillingdon-based Percol has cemented itself in its market with a sustainability-led philosophy, actively supporting farmers and the environment wherever possible.

Percol’s coffee products were the first to bear the Fairtrade mark in 1994 and have received recognition from the Rainforest Alliance and the Soil Association.

Löfbergs instructed KBS on the sale of Percol as part of a long-term strategy to maximise the value of its brand.

“This is a strategic decision that enables us to put all our efforts into strengthening and developing the Löfbergs brand in the UK, a market where coffee consumption still increases,” said Anders Fredriksson, CEO of Löfbergs.

Andrew Dodd worked closely with Löfbergs to identify a suitable acquirer that could develop Percol into a premium brand with vast national recognition.

Andrew said: “Over the course of 10 years, Löfbergs has reevaluated Percol’s offering to refine the profitability of the brand.

“Percol has a great reputation in the UK and, with the right buyer, is well placed to compete with the leading coffee brands in the UK.”

Sara Fletcher, Senior Corporate Document Writer at KBS who assisted with the marketing process, added: “It was important to produce marketing materials that reflected Percol’s ethical values and its commitment to sustainability while demonstrating its strong market potential by highlighting its previous success with some of the UK’s largest supermarkets.”

Established in 1994, India-based Continental Coffee is an international instant coffee exporter and private-label manufacturer.

The organisation has developed an extensive global infrastructure that enables the business to serve over 90 countries.

Praveen Jaipuriar, CEO of Continental Coffee, commented on the acquisition: “We’ve had tremendous success in developing a consumer brand proposition in India and welcome the opportunity to develop a similar approach in other markets by adopting and improving local brands. Percol is an exciting venture and a brand with an undoubted favourable heritage.”

Andrew added: “I wish all parties the very best. A lot of effort went into securing the right deal. With the necessary resources, Percol can become a premier brand in the UK.”