Reuters — Amazon.com said Friday it would buy grocer Whole Foods Market for US$13.7 billion in a move that gives the online retailer a physical network of stores to distribute fresh food and other goods to millennials and wealthy consumers. Amazon, which is known for squeezing suppliers and has been experimenting with its own outlets, […] Read more
Amazon moves into real-world stores with Whole Foods deal
Post tucks into British breakfast cereal Weetabix
London/Shanghai/New York | Reuters — Post Holdings is buying leading British breakfast cereal brand Weetabix from China’s Bright Food Group for 1.4 billion pounds (C$2.4 billion), giving the U.S.-focused company a European base on which to build. The combination will help Post’s existing brands, which include Honey Bunches of Oats and Grape-Nuts, to expand overseas, […] Read more
Tim Hortons owner reported near deal to buy Popeyes
Reuters — Restaurant Brands International, owner of the Burger King and Tim Hortons fast food chains, is nearing a deal to acquire Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, people familiar with the matter said Monday. The deal, which will likely value Popeyes at more than US$1.7 billion, is a bet by Oakville, Ont.-based Restaurant Brands that it can […] Read more
Austere empire-building weighs on Kraft’s Unilever bid
Reuters — Buyout firm 3G Capital managed to build a consumer empire with a market value of over US$140 billion in just seven years. Yet its ruthless approach to costs may end up hampering 3G-backed Kraft Heinz’s US$143 billion bid for Unilever Plc. 3G made its name in corporate America by orchestrating large debt-laden acquisitions […] Read more
Jacket maker Canada Goose reported planning IPO
Reuters — Canada Goose Inc., a maker of luxury winter down jackets, is interviewing banks to help prepare for an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the company at as much as $2 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. An IPO of Toronto-based Canada Goose would demonstrate the explosive growth the […] Read more
Couche-Tard reported in lead to buy Corner Store chain
New York | Reuters –– Convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard is in the lead to acquire U.S.-based convenience store retailer CST Brands, according to two sources familiar with the matter. San Antonio-based CST owns and operates convenience stores and gas stations in Canada and the U.S., and it controls the general partner of gas station […] Read more
SunOpta pressured by shareholders after sluggish sales
Reuters – Canadian organic food company SunOpta Inc, already under pressure from U.S. hedge fund Tourbillon Capital Partners LP, is being prodded by a second activist shareholder to explore the sale of all or part of the company, according to sources familiar with the matter. Canadian hedge fund West Face Capital, which pushed SNC-Lavalin to sell […] Read more
Tomato producer Mastronardi said seeking buyer
Reuters — Mastronardi Produce, an Ontario grower and distributor of hothouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, is exploring a sale it hopes could value it at as much as $900 million, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. Privately-held Mastronardi has hired Bank of Montreal (BMO) to run an auction process, the people said […] Read more
ConAgra turns to Centerview again for advice on Ralcorp
Reuters — ConAgra Foods has hired Centerview Partners to explore a sale of its private label unit Ralcorp, just two years after it acquired the troubled business with advice from the same investment bank, people familiar with the matter said. The maker of Chef Boyardee and Slim Jim snacks, which last month announced it would […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
