The Lithuanian Competition Council has granted approval for CC Beverages Holdings II B.V., a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), to acquire 100% of the shares of Brown-Forman Finland. This acquisition will enable CC Beverages to gain sole control over the Finnish company.

The merger notification was submitted to the Competition Council on 11 October 2023. After a thorough assessment, the authority determined that the merger would not create or strengthen a dominant market position nor significantly restrict competition within the relevant markets.

CC Beverages Holdings II B.V. operates as an authorized bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, producing and selling a variety of beverages across 29 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and Africa. Their product range includes carbonated soft drinks, water, energy drinks, juices, spirits, coffee, and snacks.

Brown-Forman Finland specializes in the production and supply of Finlandia vodka, which is distributed to various distributors in Lithuania. The merger was subject to the Law on Competition, which mandates that such transactions be notified to the Competition Council if the combined income of the merging parties exceeds EUR 20 million, with at least two parties having incomes exceeding EUR 2 million in the preceding business year.