Orkla is set to acquire 74% of the shares in Da Grasso, a Polish pizza franchise chain with 193 outlets throughout the country. Da Grasso is owned by Karolina Rozwandowicz (95%) and the CEO Magdalena Piróg (5%). Both will continue as shareholders in partnership with Orkla. Following the transaction, Orkla will own 74 % of the shares in the company and the minority shareholders will own the remaining shares. The company headquartered in Łódź reported EUR 53 million in sales last year, and a turnover of EUR 13.6 million.

Orkla has become a growing player in the European pizza market through a series of transactions since 2018. With the investment in Da Grasso, Orkla’s network will consist of 860 franchise pizza outlets in Finland, Benelux, Germany and Poland. The portfolio will now consist of the brands Kotipizza, New York Pizza and Da Grasso.

“Da Grasso is a well-run business that has built an impressive position in the growing Polish pizza market. We are very pleased to partner with the founder and CEO of Da Grasso to continue developing the concept and expand the network. Through closer collaboration with our existing pizza platforms, we are confident that we will build stronger businesses on our way to becoming one of the leading pizza franchise companies in Europe,” said Thomas Ljungqvist, Executive Vice President and acting CEO of Orkla Consumer & Financial Investments.

The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be completed during Q4.

Photo: Da Grasso social media