Food Industry M&A Dips in 2018, Manufacturers Lead Activity

Food Institute Releases Annual Industry M&A Stats

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Apr 03, 2019, 08:00 ET

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J., April 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Food Institute tallied 527 food industry mergers and acquisitions in 2018, down almost 11 percent from 2017's record year, according to its annual Food Business Mergers & Acquisitions report. Manufacturers, investment firms and retailers were once again the largest segments, taking part in more than half of the deals for the year.

A breakdown of the food industry categories' merger activity

The top deals by value were Marathon Petroleum's acquisition of Andeavor for $23.3 billion, Walmart's purchase of Flipkart for $16 billion, Conagra Brands' merger with Pinnacle Foods for $10.9 billion, Sainsbury's acquisition of Asda for $10 billion and Alibaba's buyout of Ele.Me for $9.5 billion.

Food processors took part in 152 deals in 2018, a 19.4 percent decrease from 2017, while the retail sector increased almost 40 percent from the previous year. Acquisitions by restaurant companies in 2018 were relatively in line with the prior year.

California is most popular state for acquisitions

Acquirers favored companies in the West and Midwest in 2018, with California being the most popular state for acquired companies, while Chicago was the most popular city.

Top states (by acquired company headquarters):

California (44)
Illinois (28)
Texas (21)
New York (19)
Colorado (15)
Wisconsin (15)

Top cities (by acquired company headquarters):

Chicago (12)
New York (11)
Los Angeles (7)
San Francisco (6)
Denver (5)
Minneapolis (5)

The Food Institute's Food Business Mergers & Acquisitions report has been completely revamped for 2018, providing more analysis on the mergers and acquisitions recorded in 2018 in an easier-to-digest format. Organized into over 25 categories, the Food Business Mergers & Acquisitions guide is a valuable resource for exploring trends in specific industries or international markets, comparing the past year's deals with historical data.

In addition, the guide comes with a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind Excel file, listing every single merger in the industry in the past year, organized by category and completely searchable and sortable. Learn more here: http://food1.co/mergers.

About The Food Institute
The Food Institute has been serving the food industry with relevant, timely and uninterrupted information for over 90 years. It serves as a trusted source, providing balanced coverage of the issues through business newsletters and online research tools. The Food Institute is the publisher of several daily, weekly and annual publications, as well as the host of several webinars and seminars during the year to provide in-depth information and analysis on food industry relevant topics. For more information, visit www.foodinstitute.com.

Contact:
Jennette Rowan
201-791-5570 x. 215
[email protected]

Related Images

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Share of Food Industry Mergers by Category
A breakdown of the food industry categories' merger activity

Related Links

The Food Institute Website

Food Business Mergers and Acquisitions Report

SOURCE The Food Institute