Ljubljana, Dec 20 - Slovenia's largest food retailer Mercator said on Wednesday it has formed a joint venture with Croatian retailer Plodine.
The new company, Mercator-Plodine d.o.o. will supply both retailers in Croatia, Mercator's spokeswoman Tanja Durin said.
"Because of globalisation and competitiveness in the retail sector there is a need for strategic cooperation of companies with common goals, like in the case of Mercator and Plodine," Alan Krickovic, head of Mercator's Croatian unit, said in a statement.
Mercator has a market share of about 5 percent in Croatia while Plodine's share is about 3 percent. Mercator, which also has branches in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, hopes to reach a market share of 12 percent in Croatia by 2010.