SAO PAULO — Czech firearms and ammunition producer Colt CZ plans to buy competitor Sellier & Bellot for $350 million, the former announced Monday.
Pending “regulatory approval in various countries,” Colt CZ is expected to finalize the deal in the first half of 2024, according to the news release.
The Brazil-based holding company CBC Global Ammunition owns Sellier & Bellot, which was founded in 1825 and employs approximately 1,600 people. Sellier & Bellot’s main production facility is located in in Vlašim, Czech Republic.
Colt CZ has a presence in the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary. It employs more than 2,000 people and is majority owned by Česká zbrojovka Partners SE.
As part of the deal, CBC Global Ammunition will gain a 27%-28% stake in Colt CZ, becoming its second-largest shareholder behind René Holeček, which owns Česká zbrojovka Partners SE.
CBC Global Ammunition exports to more than 130 countries and is one of “the largest suppliers to NATO and allied forces, worldwide,” according to the firm. It has three factories in Brazil, including its headquarters; two factories in Europe, in Germany and the Czech Republic; and its Magtech Ammunition subsidiary in the United States, which serves as the lead distributor to the American market for all the brands made by the group.
CBC employs 3,500 people and produces more than 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition each year, not including rimfire cartridges and shotshells, the company notes on its website.
“The successful contribution of one of CBC Global Ammunition Group’s flagship companies to Colt CZ Group in exchange for a significant shareholding marks the starting point of an impactful strategic collaboration. We are convinced of Colt CZ management’s long-term vision and believe the transaction will lead to remarkable value creation between the ammunition and firearms segments,” Fabio Mazzaro, CBC’s chief financial officer, said in a statement.
He added that Magtech Ammunition will continue to sell Sellier & Bellot ammunition in the American market.
“We are proud to welcome one of the oldest and most important producers of small caliber ammunition, Sellier & Bellot, to Colt CZ Group,” Jan Drahota, chief executive of Colt CZ Group, said in a statement. “This acquisition fits into our long-term strategy to expand not only in our core segment of small arms, but also in related areas, with ammunition being a natural complement to our products.”
Pedro Pligher is a Latin America correspondent for Defense News. He has reported on politics, economics and the Brazilian small arms industry.
