Yioula Glassworks of Greece still hopes to complete the acquisition of Serbia's glassmaker Srpska Fabrika Stala (SFS) of Paracin for Euros 35M, plus a commitment to spend a further Euros 20M on factory improvements. It is believed to be the only firm bidder for the company. SFS is currently 98% owned by the Serbian Government. It was founded in 1907 as a handblown operation and in the 1950s moved into automatic glass production. It now makes handblown tableware and speciality glass; automatic tableware; containers; technical and optical glass. It has its own national transport operation and a few retail stores. It also owns a limestone quarry. Its 2002 sales were estimated at Euros 39M, of which Euros 7.5M came from exports. Its domestic market share has been eroded in recent years by imports stimulated by production disruptions at SFS.
