Servera and Martin Olsson to merge

The Ax:son Johnson and Oldmark families have signed an agreement to merge Servera R&S AB and Martin Olsson HAB and thereby creating a new Swedish wholesaler and specialist for restaurants and the food service sector.

Both Servera and Martin Olsson will be able to sharpen and broaden their offering and service to customers as a result of this merger. The companies complement each other well as regards to customers, geographic presence and expertise, and will together be a competitive family-owned wholesaler for restaurants and the food service sector.

“The market is asking for a Swedish restaurant and food service specialist which is close to its customers, has a deep understanding of their business, offers the right product range and accepts environmental and social responsibility. One of the strongest drivers behind this merger is to meet this demand from both private and public sector customers,” says Christer Lind, CEO of Servera R&S.

“This merger will allow Martin Olsson to strengthen its offering to customers at the same time as we guarantee the company’s long-term development,” says Martin Oldmark, CEO and owner of Martin Olsson.

Servera and Martin Olsson will remain as before but will be part of a jointly owned company where a platform will be created for product range, purchasing, HR, administration, logistics and IT.

Christer Lind, CEO of Servera, will be CEO of the new company, and Martin Oldmark, CEO of Martin Olsson, will be Chairman of the Board.

The merger is subject to approval from the Swedish Competition Authority.

For further information, please contact:

Fredrik Persson, CEO Axel Johnson tel. +46 8 701 61 59
Martin Oldmark, CEO Martin Olsson tel. +46 8 722 28 02
Christer Lind, CEO Servera tel. +46 8 672 84 10

_________________________________________________________________________________

Martin Olsson is a wholesaler to the restaurant and food service sector throughout Sweden. Group companies comprise Martin Olsson Restauranghandel, Konservkompaniet, Dalbergs Gross, Heselius, Servicegruppen, Strandbolaget and Martin Olsson Cashar.  Martin Olsson, which was established in 1897, is a value-driven family company operated and owned by the Oldmark family.

Servera is a leading Swedish wholesaler and specialist for restaurants and the food service sector. The company’s 17,000 customers cover the full range of the professional meals market – from the local day care center to the trendy luxury restaurant. Servera has four subsidiaries: Grönsakshallen Sorunda, Fällmans Kött, RP Frukt and Matsäljarna Väst.

Axel Johnson AB is one of the Nordic region’s leading trading groups which builds and develops businesses within trade and services in the European market, with the main focus on the Nordic region. Group companies currently comprise Axel Johnson International, Axstores, Novax, Servera, Svensk BevakningsTjänst, as well as the partly owned listed companies Axfood (approx. 46%) and Mekonomen (27%). Axel Johnson is a family-owned company in the fourth and fifth generation and is owned by Antonia Ax:son Johnson and her family. www.axeljohnson.se