Candyking withdraws in ‘unprofitable’ Central European markets

Scandinavian pick & mix firm Candyking has decided to close businesses in Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic to focus its efforts on Poland.

“Over the last few years, the European food retail market has been characterized by price pressure and challenging competition. For this reason it is a natural step that we focus our resources where we see the greatest growth potential – in this case Poland,” said David von Laskowski, president and CEO of Candyking.

Von Laskowski recently announced his intentions to leave the company after its bid to become a public company failed following fires at two of its suppliers.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania will now be served by Candyking’s export operation. Businesses in affected countries will be closed by April 30 2014.