West Monroe’s Post

This may be the biggest M&A deal of the year, but it's also the “unhealthiest”. Mars can say all they want that it's the future of snacking, but where's the 'healthy' in that future? While big brands continue to push processed, indulgent options, there's a growing movement toward something better—something that nourishes the body and supports long-term well-being without sacrificing taste. At Agrovision, we’re not just offering an alternative but leading a revolution. Our Fruitist berries have been exquisitely selected to be famously flavorful, farm-fresh, and crunchy. https://lnkd.in/gPKvriNF cc:  Poul Weihrauch, Steve Cahillane, Andrew Clarke

Mars announced the $35bn acquisition of Kellanova this morning. It’s a strategically sensible deal, an acquisiton of a size that actually matters to Mars but also helps it diversify away from chocolate at a point where the cocoa price cycle is high and expected to remain so for some time. The two companies have very complimentary portfolios, Mars’ snacking products are broadly chocolate and candy in nature whereas Kellanova’s are savoury / salty. So to generate any real anti-trust debate here, one would need to say that these products compete against each other – which is unlikely. If we did that, the combined company only has about 10% of the overall US snacking market, so again its really hard to see any impediment to it closing. Having said that, there is a lot of political pressure on the price of food at the moment, and in particular low-income families are exposed to the packaged food market so one would expect to see regulators, particularly the US FTC, laser focused on this. We have seen the FTC debate novel theories of harm in transactions like this in recent times – this one should be expected to get put through the regulatory wringer. Ultimately though, its hard to see any real path to it getting blocked. #kellanova #mars #mkpadvisors

Danone, a French multinational food-products corporation, agreed to acquire Lifeway Foods, Inc., a kefir and fermented probiotic products supplier, for $283m. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dbuH7sMi "In recognizing the solid performance of the Company over the last few years, we believe Lifeway has an attractive opportunity to achieve its full potential through a combination with Danone, removing the constraints and additional resources required for a publicly listed company of Lifeway’s size. We are confident that Danone’s operations and dedicated resources would unlock significant opportunities and value for Lifeway, notably by providing further innovation, distribution and marketing support," Danone. Lifeway Foods (led by Julie Smolyansky) is advised by Longacre Square Partners (led by Joseph Germani). Danone (led by Shane Grant) is advised by J.P. Morgan, KPMG, Vedder Price and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Submit your deals here: https://lnkd.in/djcRGezn #MergersAcquisitionsDivestitures #Food #Investments

More to come

IIEX day 2 starts with Damaris Boisne sharing how they use ratings and reviews at Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very much looking forward to the insights Mihaela Tantas, Dr. Liubov Ruchinskaya & Sioned Winfield are going to share in their presentations! 🚀 #iiex #marketresearch

Alantra Private Equity is pleased to announce it has agreed to sell its portfolio company Frías Nutrición S.A.U., a leading manufacturer of plant-based drinks, to Refresco, a global independent beverage group with presence in Europe, North America, and Australia. Alantra Private Equity Fund III acquired Frías in 2019 and implemented an ambitious growth strategy in collaboration with the Frías family, which included professionalizing the management and transitioning the founding family who also sold to Refresco. Today, Frías is well positioned to capitalize on the growing global popularity of healthy food and beverage options. Bruno Delgado Luque, Partner of Alantra Private Equity, commented: “Since we acquired Frías in 2019, the company has been on a remarkable growth trajectory, confirming its leadership position in the Iberian Peninsula, and expanding its international business. Together with the Frías family, we launched a major investment plan that resulted in the creation of one of the most modern and efficient plant-based drinks factories in Europe. We are confident that Frías has a bright future ahead and will continue its successful growth with the support of Refresco.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/dHxneJ9e #PrivateEquity #SuccessfullExit #FoodSector

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food (a solid tip from Hippocrates). But not if you're Nestlé apparently, which continues to ignore investor calls to increase the amount of healthier food it sells. So I'm hugely proud of the ShareAction team who are giving it their all at the Nestlé AGM in Switzerland today. After months of hard work and collaborative action with progressive investors, Nestle shareholders vote on our co-filed resolution today. Multi-national companies like Nestlé hold mind-boggling power across the globe and have a profound effect on our lives; the choices they make drive the choices we make. We are in no doubt that a passing of this resolution would lead to better health for citizens around the world. But win or lose, change is happening. Each day, the connections between commercial decisions and our health become ever clearer. Whether it's better food, cleaner air or safer working conditions, companies, their investors and the policy-makers that shape their actions hold the keys to a healthier, happier and more sustainable future. The train is leaving. Nestlé needs to decide whether to get on or stay on the platform. Tick tock... ⏰ Holly Gabriel RNutr Thomas Abrams Louisa Hughes Kitty Postlethwaite Svet Lustig Vijay Catherine Howarth OBE Simon Rawson Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), Candriam, La Française, Coöperatie VGZ and Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation Bite Back

Mars recently announced the acquisition of Kellanova in a massive deal worth US$36 billion. This move reflects a significant shift in consumer behaviour: as more people swap sit-down meals with frequent snacking, the preference for salty over sweet is increasing. Mars is strategically positioning itself to capitalize on this trend by expanding its portfolio beyond traditional sweets. At the same time, the rise of popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic is posing new challenges for the candy and chocolate industries, including a potential decrease in demand for indulgent treats. Mars' move into the savoury snack market has the potential to be a game changer in this evolving landscape. According to Mars, the total acquisition consideration is 16.4x LTM (adjusted EBITDA as of June 29, 2024). #ConsumerGoods #Mars #Kellanova #FoodIndustry #BusinessStrategy #AcquisitionNews https://lnkd.in/gdcUpUfS

🗞 News alert 🗞 President Nui Markets Americas Ronald K. O'Brien II and our global sales team share their expert insights with Cheese Market News on the current state of global dairy markets, highlighting the mixed landscape of stability and volatility. Check out this column for a deep dive into what the rest of the year may hold for dairy markets and how a Nui platform can help position your business for success: https://lnkd.in/g87cWYpW Manuela Saldarriaga Ashwini Law Anthony Gosler Otavio A. C. de Farias #dairyproducts #dairytrade #nuimarkets #foodmanufacturing #cheese

𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗠𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 📈 We're pleased to share that BioMar has delivered solid results in the first half of 2024. Despite lower volumes and revenue in Q2 compared to last year, our EBITDA has seen a significant 36% increase. This growth reflects our commitment to operational and commercial excellence as we continue to evolve from being just a transactional provider to a true partner for our customers. We're confident in achieving a strong full-year performance by focusing on strategic collaborations and supporting our customers' efficiency and sustainability goals. While some divisions have faced challenges, particularly in the Salmon sector, we're proud of the progress our JV feed companies in Turkey and China have made, showing resilience even in fluctuating market conditions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dmqtuRjP #BioMar #Aquaculture