Lavazza agrees to acquire Italian vending machine operator IVS Group

IVS Group’s headquarters in Bergamo, Italy | Photo credit: IVS Group

Italian coffee roaster Lavazza is set to purchase a greater stake in vending machine operator IVS Group for €185m ($197m) with an agreement to fully acquire the business in 2027.  
 

Lavazza, which already owns a 20.4% stake in Bergamo-based IVS, said in a press release that it will launch a voluntary tender offer to buy a further 28.36% share with the aim of taking the business private. 

The Turin-based coffee roaster has an agreement in place with IVS’ majority stakeholder, IVS Partecipazioni, to acquire full control of the vending machine operator in 2027.  

The buyout offer values IVS at approximately €650m ($694m). IVS Partecipazioni will retain its 50.75% stake until put and call options are exercised after IVS Group’s 2026 full-year results. 

“The transaction represents a further investment by the Lavazza Group in the vending industry, in line with its strategy based on an omnichannel approach,” Lavazza said in a statement. 

In March 2024, Lavazza CEO Antonio Baravalle said the group’s strong financial position would enable it to ‘seize major market opportunities and deliver growth through acquisitions’. 

In a new statement, Baravalle said the IVS deal will enable Lavazza to ‘compete with the other major coffee players at an international level’.