(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Enterprise Expansion Fund II (ENEF II), part of the EU's Western Balkans Investment Framework, are supporting Kosovo's Viva Fresh in entering the Albanian retail market, Trend reports.

The two institutions are jointly providing up to 25 million euros in financing to help Viva Fresh acquire Spar Albania. Of this, 22 million euros comes from the EBRD and 3 million euro from ENEF II - marking the EBRD's largest loan to a Kosovan company to date.

Following the acquisition, Viva Fresh plans to expand the Spar Albania store network and upgrade existing locations to modern retail standards.

The deal was signed during the EBRD's 2025 Annual Meeting and Business Forum. EBRD officials highlighted the company's role in strengthening regional retail markets and improving sustainability standards.

Viva Fresh has been an EBRD client since 2015 and is a market leader in Kosovo's modern retail sector. This move marks its first expansion into Albania and the first co-financing project between the EBRD and ENEF II in the country.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 2.2 billion euros in Albania and 783 million euros in Kosovo.

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