Ljubljana, Sept 21 - Slovenia's largest food retailer, Mercator, said on Monday it had started preparations to raise its share capital by up to 20 percent to finance possible acquisitions in the region.
"Due to changed economic conditions in the region of southeast Europe, new opportunities for strategic connections are emerging," Mercator said in a statement.
Mercator, which operates stores in Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro, has market capitalisation of about 675 million euros ($989 million), and plans to open its first stores in Bulgaria and Albania later this year.