Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland is to buy a vending machine business for an undisclosed sum, it has announced.

The company, which has a large operation in Lisburn, is buying BDS Vending, founded in 1993. The business has around 2,000 vending machines across the island of Ireland, with operational centres in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Galway, Sligo, Limerick and Wexford.

Coca-Cola HBC said BDS Vending founders David Mullan and Brian ­Berry will continue to lead the business throughout the transition. It said the deal was part of its strategy to broaden routes to market, while BDS Vending’s technology and services would aid Coca-­Cola HBC’s development.

The proposed transaction is subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in the Republic and is expected to conclude in the next few months.

Davide Franzetti, general manager of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be announcing this proposed acquisition of BDS Vending and we look forward to working with the BDS team.

“BDS will provide us with a joint platform to build capabilities in our route to market, to offer our customers greater choice and to further enhance our consumer experience.”

In a joint statement, Mr Mullan and Mr Berry said: “In line with our commitment to the vending industry over the past 30 years, we feel it’s the right time to have BDS Vending join forces with Coca-Cola HBC and transition our business model to become part of a larger group with a much wider geographic reach.

“We have worked hard on innovation and our vending offering over the past three decades, so bringing this model to the Coca-Cola HBC family will be an exciting journey.”

Reporting On:independent.ie