Mergers and Acquisitions

On the heels of the buyout news from Rubio’s Restaurants Inc., Keybanc Capital Markets analyst Brad Ludington has offered up three possibly tantalizing meals for the next hungry private-equity firm. Ludington said in a report Wednesday that he is con...

Lamb Weston / Meijer and RWA announced today that Lamb Weston/Meijer has signed an agreement to acquire 74% of the shares in Frisch &Frost Nahrungsmittel GmbH based in Hollabrunn, Austria.Current owner RWA will keep the remaining shares. Both parti...

PinguinLutosa and the CECAB Group have started exclusive negotiations in order to integrate the activities of D’Aucy Frozen Foods (deep-frozen vegetable branch of the CECAB Group) into PinguinLutosa, number two in Europe in the deep-frozen vegetable se...

Wright Machinery Ltd, a manufacturer of Food processing and packaging equipment located in the United Kingdom, is offered for immediate sale by its administrators, Wyles Hardy and Co.   Wright Machinery Ltd is a subsidiary of PPM Technologies Inc. In t...

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) announced today that it has acquired Elan Nutrition, a privately-held formulator and manufacturer of snack and nutrition bars based in Grand Rapids, Mich. Financial terms of the transaction, which closed today, were not...

The rival buyout offer received by CKE Restaurants Inc. this week was from private-equity firm Apollo Management, Reuters reported Thursday.   CKE, the Carpinteria, Calif.-based parent to the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains, has until April 27 to evalua...

Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMND) announced today that it has received notice of early termination of the antitrust waiting period for its pending acquisition of Kettle Foods, and now anticipates the transaction will close by March 31, 2010. Based on t...

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) and Basic American Foods today announced the sale of and a licensing agreement for Hungry Jack(R) brand potato products that will allow Basic American Foods to expand its retail presence in the potato business. The...

CKE Restaurants' $928 million buyout offer last month from a private-equity firm has sparked speculation that more suitors will line up for the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. parent, according to sources familiar with the restaurant M&A environment. One...

Shearer’s Foods, Inc., a leading producer and distributor of high quality branded, contract pack and private label seasoned snack foods, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Snack Alliance, Inc. and its Canadian affiliate.

Shares of Diamond Foods Inc. (DMND) dropped 10% Friday, a day after the snack-nuts producer announced a major acquisition that will require it to sell stock and take on debt.Late Thursday, Diamond said it agreed to acquire Kettle Foods from Lion Capita...

CKE Restaurants Inc., the parent to the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains, said Friday it has agreed to a $918 million acquisition offer from private-equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.The deal includes the assumption of $309 million in debt, leaving the ...

Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMND), today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Kettle Foods, makers of premium potato chips, from Lion Capital LLP for $615 million in cash. Pursuant to the agreement, Diamond will acquire Kett...

According to Plimsoll Publishing Ltd, the UK’s leading financial research company, 43 of the top 264 businesses in the UK Potatoes industry are woefully exposed to being snapped up as a “bargain acquisition”. Their research suggests companies that have...

The Telegraph reports a number of food groups are thought to have lodged bids for the whole group – which delivered sales of £150m in 2008 – or just the UK or US assets, which are each worth roughly half of the combined value.United Biscuits, which has...

Bloomberg/Businessweek reports that Lance Inc. and Diamond Foods Inc. are among the bidders for premium potato-chip maker Kettle Foods, referring to people familiar with the matter.PepsiCo Inc. is also bidding, said the people, who asked not to be name...

Prospective buyers of Kettle Foods are to attend site visits at the company's Norwich headquarters in the UK over the next few weeks, according to reports.Several blue-chip food groups are believed to be among those companies planning to visit with an ...

Wall Street rumours that the owners of Norwich-based Kettle Foods are preparing to put the business up for sale were dismissed yesterday as “speculation”.There were reports in the United States that Kettle's owner, London-based private-equity firm Lio...