Standard & Poor’s affirmed the ratings of Russia’s major producer of dairy foods and fruit juices Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (WBD) at BB+ (the long-term credit rating) and ruAA+ (the national scale rating) as well as the rating for the company’s bonds.

We are now calling the ratings off at WBD’s request. At the time of the calling-off, the rating outlook stood at Positive, which means the rating could actually be promoted due the synergizing operational effect and the positive trends in the company’s financing after it has been transferred 100% to PepsiCo Inc (A/Stable/A-1),’ the rating agency reports.

We can observe that once WBD has been taken over by PepsiCo, considerably fewer data concerning the company’s financial state become available,’ Standard & Poor's says.