EBRD supports expansion of Romania’s La Cocos retail chain

EBRD makes €10 million equity investment for the expansion of retail chain La Cocos CEECAT Capital and Morphosis Capital to provide further equity financing Investment to boost La Cocos’s competitiveness in the Romanian food retail market   The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in tandem with private equity fund managers CEECAT Capital and Morphosis Capital, is supporting the expansion of La Cocos, a food retailer in Romania.   The EBRD’s €10 million equity investment, plus that of its co-investors, will support the company’s store network expansion. The financing is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of La Cocos and strengthening its position in the local retail market.   Iulian Nica, founder and Chief Executive Officer of La Cocos, said: “We are proud of La Cocos's remarkable growth and the positive impact we have had on communities across the areas where we are present. This transaction provides us with the financial resources and expertise necessary to rapidly expand our network by a double-digit number of locations over the next four years. Our shared goal is to consolidate our domestic leadership in food retail. Together with the La Cocos team, I thank our investors for their trust and future support in achieving this ambitious goal.”   Tamas Nagy, Co-Head of EBRD Private Equity, said: “We are pleased to support the growth and expansion of La Cocos in Romania alongside our co-investors, Morphosis Capital and CEECAT Capital. Food retail is one of the most active areas of investment for the EBRD and this investment is a great opportunity for the Bank to support the scaling up of an innovative retail business model in the attractive market of Romania, championed by a strong and reputable entrepreneur, Iulian Nica.”   Founded in 2014, La Cocos is a Romanian discount retailer with three stores located in Ploiesti and Bucharest. La Cocos specialises in offering an efficient product assortment at highly competitive prices, catering to both business-to-consumer (B2C) and small business-to-business customers.   CEECAT Capital is a leading private equity investor, focused on the high-growth markets of emerging Europe. Its investment focus is on small and medium-sized enterprises and emerging mid-cap companies, with an emphasis on developmental impact.   Morphosis Capital is a founder-centric regional private equity fund. It deploys capital in high-growth companies, transforming them into national and regional champions. The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Romania. To date, the Bank has invested over €11 billion in 547 projects across the country.