Valora is a Swiss retail and food service holding company. The company was acquired on 7 October 2022 by FEMSA.[1][2]
History
Valora goes back to the Schweizer Chocoladen & Colonialhaus, which was founded in Olten, Switzerland in 1905, which later became known as Merkur AG. The company was initially created to sell coffee and chocolate.[3]
In 1986, Merkur AG was made into a holding company, Merkur Holding AG, and in 1996, the company was renamed to today's Valora Holding AG.
In 2009, Valora generated 3 billion Swiss francs in turnover and employed 6,500 staff (on a full-time equivalent basis).
Valora Trade took over Engelschiøn Marwell Hauge AS (EMH) in 2010 and thus opened up the sales and distribution of cosmetic products in Norway. In 2011, Valora Trade took over Scandinavian Cosmetics (ScanCo) and thus acquired access to cosmetic distribution in Sweden.