"This acquisition shall generate significant synergies (purchasing, industrial and commercial). It is part of Trigano's strategy of development through external growth," the French company said in a press release on its website.

According to the release, the financing will be ensured by the available credit facilities granted by Trigano's banking pool.

After informing Adria Mobil of efforts to sell the company in September, ACH said in a press release on Thursday that the efforts were put on hold because Protej had entered exclusive talks with Trigano for the sale of all its stakes.

According to a report by the business daily Finance, the French are unofficially offering EUR 180m for Protej.

Apart from Adria Mobil, Protej also owns several other Slovenian enterprises in the automotive industry (Autocommerce, AC Mobil, Avto Triglav), hospitality industry (Grand Hotel Union, Hotel Lev) and IT.

Trigano controls over 20 trademarks in leisure vehicle market and generates over EUR 1.3bn in revenues per year.

According to Adria Mobil boss Sonja Gole, the Novo mesto-based company is financially stable and posts annual net sales revenues of more than EUR 300m. It employs more than 1,500 people and is one of Slovenia's biggest exporters.

The head of the in-house SKEI trade union Ramo Čivović told the STA that employees had no official information about the talks, but that they supported Gole. They will back her decision regarding the sale of the company, he added.

In the autumn, when ACH announced its plans to sell Adria Mobil, Gole warned that the sales procedure as envisaged at the time was inappropriate because it put in peril Adria Mobil's strategic goals and thereby also the interests of the company and its stakeholders.

ACH, which is in the midst of financial restructuring, meanwhile said it would strive to make sure that the key criteria for selecting the buyer would also take into account non-financial aspects and involve the commitment to preserve jobs, production and the company's seat in Slovenia and to respect workers' rights.