Bumper month of M&A deals for international food and drink clients

Our food & drink group advised buyers on three of the deals and the sellers on the fourth.

• The first transaction involved Boston (Massachusetts, USA) investment management firm Solum Partners’ strategic partnership with Fountain Plants, a leading propagator of vegetable plants in the UK.
• We also supported Paulig, a Finnish food and beverage company, on its acquisition of Panesar Foods, the UK-based sauce and condiment manufacturer.
• In the third deal, we advised the shareholders of Abbeydale Food Group and Summit Foods on the sale to Kepak Group, headquartered in the Republic of Ireland.
• The fourth involved advising Stockholm based Ingå Group, the food ingredients division of Novax AB, the investment company of the Stockholm-based Axel Johnson Group, on its acquisition of MSK Ingredients & Equipment, a supplier of specialty functional ingredients to professional chefs, restaurants, and foodservice across the UK and Europe.

These deals reflect the ongoing consolidation and international investment trends in the food and drink sector, as companies seek to expand their market presence and diversify product offerings.

Richard Naish, Partner, Head of our Food and Drink Group and Head of Corporate, comments: “These deals showcase our team’s ability to navigate complex, cross-border transactions in the food and drink sector. Our deep industry knowledge and experience in M&A have been crucial in bringing these deals to successful conclusions.

“We’re seeing increasing interest from international investors in UK food businesses, and our expertise positions us well to support clients on both sides of these transactions.”

Andrew Hayes, Managing Director & Founder at Abbeydale Food Group & Summit Foods, added:

“We’re thankful to the fantastic team at Walker Morris who have worked with us on the sale of Abbeydale Food Group & Summit Foods to Kepak. The team has expertly guided us through each step of the process in plain English, while keeping us to a demanding timetable.”

Our Food and Drink group (one of the first to be formed by a UK law firm nearly 20 years ago) brings experience to bear on client matters and have recently strengthened its expertise with the appointment of new Director, Chris McGarvey, the former Head of Legal at the Foods Standards Agency (FSA).  The team’s expertise spans a wide range of areas including M&A, financing, disputes, branding, licensing and IP, logistics and supply chain arrangements, health & safety, environmental issues, recalls/withdrawals, labelling, novel foods and more.

Our recent work has focused on helping clients address pressing industry challenges, such as supply chain disruptions, input cost increases, and labour relations and shortages. We also advise on emerging issues like the Plastics Tax and the implications of new technologies in the sector.

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