ALTA Retail has agreed to acquire Fortenova Group’s Serbian retail business, taking control of the Idea, Roda and Mercator chains in a major ownership transaction covering stores and several supporting businesses. The deal includes Idea Marketi and four affiliated companies: fresh produce supplier Enna Fruit Grocka, loyalty programme operator Super Kartica, property company M-Profil SPV and IT services provider mStart Business Solutions.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Completion remains subject to the conditions specified in the sale documentation. The transaction extends beyond the transfer of supermarket operations, bringing together retail outlets, procurement, customer loyalty infrastructure, property assets and information technology under ALTA ownership.
Idea Network Covers More Than 80 Serbian Cities
The retail operation has a presence in more than 80 cities and towns across Serbia under the Idea, Roda and Mercator brands. Idea Marketi operates more than 300 stores and generated approximately €793 million in revenue in 2025. The company recorded a net loss of around €34.5 million during the year, while revenue declined compared with the previous year.
The financial performance places profitability alongside scale as a central issue for the new owner. Serbian grocery retail operates in a competitive environment with significant costs associated with labour, logistics, energy, property and inventory. For ALTA, the acquisition provides an established nationwide retail network rather than requiring the company to develop store coverage and operating infrastructure independently.
ALTA Expands Beyond Banking and Payments
The transaction represents a significant expansion of the wider ALTA business system, which already has substantial exposure to banking and payments. The acquired loyalty and retail infrastructure could provide a basis for future activities involving payments, loyalty programmes and consumer financial services, although ALTA has not announced specific operational integration plans.
The company has presented the transaction primarily as a long-term investment in Serbia’s retail sector. The acquisition also transfers responsibility for improving the financial performance of a large and operationally complex retail organisation, following Idea Marketi’s 2025 results.
Fortenova Changes Its Serbian Strategy
For Fortenova Group, the transaction forms part of a different capital allocation strategy. The Croatian group said that becoming a market leader in Serbia would require substantial investment over an extended period. The sale will allow Fortenova to concentrate resources on markets where it already holds leading positions. The ownership change therefore brings a new corporate structure to a major Serbian retail network, with ALTA Retail assuming control of the Idea, Roda and Mercator operations alongside their associated sourcing, loyalty, property and IT businesses. The financial value of the transaction has not been disclosed, and completion remains dependent on the agreed sale conditions.
