Slovenia's Mercator May Raise Share Capital by up to 20%, Eyes Regional Investment Opportunities

Through a new offering of equity, the managing board looks to secure normal progress of the planned development policies while taking advantage of the investment opportunities in the region, which started to crop up as a result of the changes in economic conditions, Mercator said in a filing with the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE).

The changes in economic conditions in the southeast European region have opened up new opportunities for strategic combinations in the field of trade, real estate, and other activities, the statement said.

The company's share capital as at June 30, 2009, totalled 157,128,514 euro divided into 3,765,361 shares, data from Mercator's 2009 first-half financial statement indicated.

Outside Slovenia, parent group Mercator (www.mercator.si) is present in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Bosnia. The group has announced plans to enter Albania by the end of 2009 and to also set foot on the markets in Macedonia and Kosovo.

Mercator shares, part of LJSE's blue-chip index, closed down 0.22% at an average price of 179.26 euro ($263.1) on Monday.

($=0.6812 euro)