Saudi's Almarai, Pepsico to invest at least $345 mln in Egypt

Saudi Arabia's Almarai, the Gulf's biggest dairy company, and U.S. soft drinks giant PepsiCo will invest at least $345 million in Egypt over the next five years, the Saudi firm said on Sunday.

The announcement was a fresh sign that after three years of stagnation because of political and economic turmoil following Egypt's 2011 revolution, foreign investment in the country may revive as a measure of stability returns.

The Almarai investment would be conducted through Egyptian dairy and juice products firm International Company for Agro-Industrial Projects (Beyti), a subsidiary of International Dairy & Juice Ltd, which is owned 52 percent by Almarai and the remainder by Pepsico.

Most of the money would come from equity injections by the joint venture partners in line with their ownership ratios, while Beyti would take on some debt.

Almarai will finance its investment through its own cash flow, with the financial impact gradually reflected on its group balance sheet between the third quarter of this year and 2019, the company said.