’53 acquisitions in April’

April saw continued strength in the level of food and drink transactions recorded on the bevblog.net mergers and acquisitions database as well as an increase in the number of greater value.

Out of the 53 total, seven amounted to more than $500 million, with four over $1 billion:

• $7,500 million for Luxembourg-based JAB Holdings to buy US-based Panera Bread
• $4,200 million for Tyson Foods to purchase AdvancePierre Foods in the US
• $1,760 million for Post Holdings of the US to take over the Weetabix cereals business in the UK from China’s Bright Food Group
• $1,200 million for Loews Corporation to gain Consolidated Container Company from Bain Capital in the US and create Loews Packaging Group

• $856 million for Atkins Nutritionals to merge with Conyers Park in the US and form The Simply Good Foods Company
• $660 million for Ashland to absorb the Pharmachem Laboratories ingredients business in the US
• $600 million for Germany’s Klöckner Pentaplast to take on UK-based Linpac in packaging.

Eight of the 53 were in alcohol, seven in soft drinks, six in ingredients, four each in bakery, meat, packaging and services, and three each in dairy and snacks.

32 were within national boundaries, including 21 in the US and seven in the UK. 21 were international, involving a lower-than-normal 20 countries.

The main countries overall were the US on 31, the UK on 16, then Australia and Germany on three each.