Štark

Štark
Native name
Штарк
Company typed.o.o.
IndustryFood manufacture
Founded3 January 1952; 72 years ago (1952-01-03) (Current form)
1922; 102 years ago (1922) (Founded)
Headquarters
Belgrade
,
Serbia
Key people
Matjaž Vodopivec (Director)
ProductsBranded food, candies, chocolate, biscuits
RevenueDecrease €95.35 million (2018)[1]
Decrease €8.80 million (2018)[1]
Total assetsDecrease €88.36 million (2018)[2]
Total equityIncrease €45.29 million (2018)[2]
OwnerDroga Kolinska (100%)
Number of employees
1,041 (2018)
SubsidiariesFoodland d.o.o.
Websitewww.stark.rs

Štark (pronounced: Shtark; full legal name: Soko Štark d.o.o. Beograd) is a food manufacturing company based in Belgrade, Serbia. The main products of the company include candies, biscuits and chocolates. One of its hallmark products is Najlepše Želje a chocolate bar that means "Best Wishes" in Serbian.

History

The factory dates back to 1922 when a French soldier founded it under the name "Louit" after returning from the Thessaloniki front in World War I. He later changed it to La Cigogna. The firm grew over time into a large factory. It witnessed many political upheavals, starting as a privately owned enterprise and finally being nationalized by the state.[3] It was joined with other smaller companies, creating one large food company in 1966 and changing the name to "Soko Štark". While it was in socialist Yugoslavia, the company was managed by the worker's organization, with workers themselves having a say in the way the company was run.

In 2001, the company changed its business type to joint-stock company and entered the public stock market, under name "Soko-Nada Štark", or shortened "Štark". In 2005, Štark was sold to Serbian company "Grand Prom".

In 2008, the Slovenian food company Droga Kolinska became majority owner of "Grand Prom".[4] In 2010, Croatian consumer goods company Atlantic Grupa bought Slovenian food company Droga Kolinska, thus way gaining ownership over Štark.[5] Štark products are imported into the United States by A.B Company, Inc.[6]

Product lines

Štark's product line includes:

Miscellaneous

  • According to Štark, 23 million Prima salty sticks are produced annually, with 45 sticks on average per bag. Each stick is approximately 12 cm long.
  • According to Štark, Chocolate Cream Bananas are their best-selling product, and on average, 66 million are sold annually.[7]

Sponsorships

In 2017, Štark signed a naming sponsorship contract with Belgrade Arena to bear its name for five years.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "БИЛАНС УСПЕХА (2018) – Štark". apr.gov.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "БИЛАНС СТАЊА (2018) – Štark". apr.gov.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  3. ^ zemunskenovine (14 September 2015). "Fabrika čokolade u Zemunu". Zemunske Novine. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Droga Kolinska kupila Grand Prom". blic.rs (in Serbian). Beta. 12 March 2008. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  5. ^ ""Smoki" i "bananicu" kupili Hrvati". b92.net (in Serbian). 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  6. ^ "ŠTARK – Istorija". 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  7. ^ "NETWATCH: Botany's Wayback Machine". Science. 316 (5831): 1547. 15 June 2007. doi:10.1126/science.316.5831.1547d. ISSN 0036-8075. S2CID 220096361. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Београдска арена ће пет година носити назив "Штарк арена"". rts.rs (in Serbian). Tanjug. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.