Berli Jucker says it will bring a whole new image to the Metro hypermarkets business it has just bought in Vietnam.

The Thai company has paid €655 million ($879 million) for the 19 wholesale stores in Vietnam owned by Europe’s Metro and plans to integrate the business with its existing 95-strong convenience store operation in Vietnam branded B’s Mart.

BJC believes the acquisition is a landmark transaction that will deliver immediate scale to the company in a high growth region of the Southeast Asian FMCG sector and increase the competitiveness of the group as a whole.

“The Metro brand will be phased out and changed to our new name within the next 12-18 months,” BJC president Aswin Techajaroenvikul told the Bangkok Post.

“After fully integrating this business platform in Vietnam, we will apply the concept in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar,” he added.