MALMÖ, Sweden, Jan. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oatly Group AB (Nasdaq: OTLY) (“Oatly” or the “Company”), the world’s original and largest oat drink company, today announced an expansion of its partnership with Reitan, a leading retail company in the Nordic and Baltic region, to make oat drink available in coffee machines in approximately 300 Pressbyrån and 90 7-Eleven convenience stores across Sweden owned and operated by Reitan.

Today’s announcement marks the first time Oatly will be made available in coffee machines on a large scale, with Reitan’s stores serving approximately 10 million coffees each year. Reitan will be rolling out the machines stocked with Oatly Barista Edition throughout 2023, so customers will have the option to choose Oatly at the click of a button. The companies will be promoting the partnership through the stores’ apps, in-store digital screens, and a social media push.

“Our coffee machines are incredibly popular with customers on the go, and we’re excited to expand our longtime partnership with Oatly to make it even easier to choose a great-tasting, plant-based option,” said Lorance Ljungqvist, Category Manager at Reitan.

Oatly is the number one oat drink brand¹ and the fastest turning brand² in the non-dairy category in Sweden. Oatly and Reitan began their partnership in 2011, and the 7-Eleven and Pressbyrån stores currently stock Oatly Barista Edition, Oatly Mocha Latte, Oatly Cold Brew Latte, Oatly Oat Drink 250ml, and Oatly Oat Drink Chocolate 250ml.

“Through our partnership with Reitan and integrating Oatly into coffee machines for the first time at this scale, we’re able to make plant-based alternatives a natural part of the everyday lives of millions of people across Sweden,” said Jonas Persson Follin, General Manager for the Nordics at Oatly. “This is an important step for the plant-based movement and part of our mission to put Oatly everywhere to reduce people’s reliance on dairy and encourage more sustainable consumption habits.”

About Reitan
Reitan Convenience Sweden AB (RCS) is the franchiser for Pressbyrån, 7-Eleven and PBX in Sweden. Every day, around 350,000 people visit one of its 400 stores. Each individual store is run by franchisees who are owners of a limited company.

RCS is owned by the Norwegian family company REITAN, which is active in the business areas of retail trade, service trade and distribution in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. With a turnover of around NOK 100 billion, the company is one of the largest in Norway.

Through proud franchisees, its goal is to lead the way towards the convenience of the future and give its customers a better everyday life.

About Oatly
We are the world’s original and largest oat drink company. For over 25 years, we have exclusively focused on developing expertise around oats: a global power crop with inherent properties suited for sustainability and human health. Our commitment to oats has resulted in core technical advancements that enabled us to unlock the breadth of the dairy portfolio, including alternatives to milks, ice cream, yogurt, cooking creams, spreads and on-the-go drinks. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the Oatly brand is available in more than 20 countries globally.

Forward looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, regarding Oatly’s partnership with Reitan, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation: general economic conditions including high inflationary cost pressures; our history of losses and inability to achieve or sustain profitability; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the spread of variants of the virus, on our business and the international economy; any failure to obtain necessary capital when needed on acceptable terms; a cybersecurity incident or other technology disruptions; changing consumer preferences and our ability to adapt to new or changing preferences; and the other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Oatly’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on April 6, 2022 and other filings with the SEC as such factors may be updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Oatly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

¹ Nielsen IQ in terms of retail sales value for Sweden ending week 40, 2022
² Velocity (rate of sales) based on top selling SKU by sales value compared to top selling SKU of next three largest competitors by sales value in Sweden for the last 12 weeks ending week 40, 2022