Capabilities by Industry: Consumer Goods & Retail

Greenhill has considerable transaction experience and a global network of corporate relationships in the Consumer Goods & Retail sector.  Our Managing Directors and professionals in North America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia and Japan have executed many of the most significant and complex transactions for some of the leading companies in the industry.

Our expertise in the Consumer Goods and Retail industry covers: food; specialty ingredients; agricultural commodities; beverage; tobacco; household and personal care; consumer health; grocery retail; apparel; specialty retail; e-commerce; foodservice; and restaurants.

Below we highlight a few of the transactions on which we have advised in this area:

Recent Transactions

12-Aug-10
$NA
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Target: 

Kohl’s Corporation

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Acquiror: 
Capital One Financial Corporation

Private Label Credit Card Business
Advised Kohl’s Corporation on a strategic alliance relating to its private label credit card business with Capital One Financial Corporation

26-Aug-10
$622 million
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Target: 

Woolworths Limited

Advised Woolworths Limited, an Australian food and general merchandise retailer, on its A$704 million off-market share buy-back

13-Dec-10
$256 million
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Target: 

Maxinutrition Group Holdings Limited

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Acquiror: 
GlaxoSmithKline Plc

Advised GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the UK listed international pharmaceutical and consumer company, on its acquisition of Maxinutrition Group Holdings Limited, a UK based sports nutrition business, from Darwin Private Equity

24-Dec-10
$NA
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Target: 

Tegel Foods Limited

Hong Kong flag
Acquiror: 
Affinity Equity Partners

Advised Pacific Equity Partners and ANZ, the shareholders of Tegel Foods (Tegel), on the sale of Tegel, New Zealand’s preeminent producer of poultry products, to Affinity Equity Partners

07-Feb-11
$548 million
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Target: 

Wesco Financial Corporation

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Acquiror: 
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Advised the Special Committee of Wesco Financial Corporation in connection with Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s proposal to acquire the remaining 19.9% of the shares of Wesco’s common stock that it does not presently own

11-Feb-11
$986 million
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Target: 

Findel plc

Advised Findel plc, a UK listed multi-channel retailer, on the restructuring of its balance sheet comprising an equity capital raising and refinancing of its debt and pension obligations

13-Apr-11
$NA
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Target: 

Retail Apparel Group

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Acquiror: 
Navis Capital

Advised CHAMP Ventures on the sale of its portfolio company Retail Apparel Group, an Australian based men’s specialty apparel retailer, to Navis Capital, one of the largest regional private equity business in south-east Asia

09-May-11
$843 million
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Target: 

The Forzani Group Ltd.

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Acquiror: 
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited

Advised The Forzani Group Ltd., Canada's largest national retailer of brand-name and private-brand sporting goods, apparel and footwear, on its sale to Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited

13-Jun-11
$2.3 billion
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Target: 

The Timberland Corporation

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Acquiror: 
VF Corporation

Advised VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel on its acquisition of The Timberland Company, a leading outdoor footwear and apparel company

27-Sep-11
$259 million
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Target: 

Goodman Fielder Limited

Advised Goodman Fielder Limited, an Australian consumer foods manufacturer and distributor, on its equity capital raising via a rights issue

17-Oct-11
$630 million
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Target: 

Rebel Group Limited

Australia flag
Acquiror: 
Super Retail Group

Advised Super Retail Group on the acquisition of Rebel Group Limited, Australia’s largest retailer of sporting goods, for A$610 million and the associated A$334 million capital raising used to fund the acquisition

16-Jan-12
$428 million
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Target: 

Robert Wiseman Dairies PLC

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Acquiror: 
Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller

Advised Robert Wiseman Dairies PLC, the UK’s largest processor of fresh milk, on a recommended offer from Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller S.e.c.s.

04-May-12
$55 million
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Target: 

Armajaro Trading Limited

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Acquiror: 
International Finance Corporation

Advised Armajaro Trading Limited, a global soft commodity trading house and supply chain manager, on raising mezzanine capital from the International Finance Corporation, a unit of the World Bank

18-Jun-12
$NA
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Target: 

Pension Trustees of Howden Joinery Group plc

Advised the Pension Trustees of Howden Joinery Group plc in negotiating a revised schedule of deficit reduction payments, and with regards to their security position relative to the Company’s lenders

18-Jun-12
$386 million
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Target: 

Little World Beverages

Australia, Japan flags
Acquiror: 
Lion / Kirin

Advised Lion on the acquisition of Little World Beverages, Australia’s largest listed brewer and one of the country’s leading players in the Craft beer segment

06-Jul-12
$730 million
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Target: 

WMF Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik AG

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Acquiror: 
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.

Provided fairness opinion to the Executive Management Board of WMF in connection with the voluntary public takeover offer by Finedining Capital GmbH, a holding company in the possession of funds managed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.

24-Aug-12
$674 million
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Target: 

ITX (Mobile Phone Retailing Business)

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Acquiror: 
Japan Industrial Partners

Advised Japan Industrial Partners, a leading private equity firm in Japan, on the acquisition of mobile phone retailing business from ITX, a mobile phones marketer and distributor in Japan

26-Sep-12
$NA
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Target: 

Dick Smith Electronics, a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited

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Acquiror: 
Anchorage Capital Partners

Advised Woolworths Limited, Australia’s largest supermarket operator, on the sale of its Consumer Electronics retail chain, Dick Smith Electronics, to Anchorage Capital Partners

23-Oct-12
$5.7 billion
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Target: 

Target Corporation’s REDcard credit card assets

U.S.A., Canada flags
Acquiror: 
The Toronto-Dominion Bank Group

Advised The Toronto-Dominion Bank Group on its acquisition of Target Corporation’s REDcard credit card assets

07-Dec-12
$43 million
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Target: 

Champion Flour Limited

Japan flag
Acquiror: 
Nisshin Seifun Group Inc.

Advised Goodman Fielder, a leading Australian listed food company, on the sale of its New Zealand flour milling business, Champion Flour, to Nisshin Seifun Group Inc.

10-Jan-13
$3.3 billion
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Target: 

SUPERVALU, Inc.

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Acquiror: 
Cerberus Capital Management L.P.

Advised SUPERVALU, a leading food retailer, on the sale of its New Albertsons, Inc. subsidiary to an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management L.P. In addition to the sale, Greenhill also advised the Company on a simultaneous equity tender offer by Cerberus for up to a 30% stake in pro forma SUPERVALU

20-Feb-13
$120 million
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Target: 

Trivett Automotive Group

United Kingdom flag
Acquiror: 
Inchcape plc

Advised Inchcape plc, the leading independent international automotive distributor and retailer, on the acquisition of Trivett Automotive Group, the leading luxury and premium automotive group in Australia

26-Apr-13
$NA
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Target: 

Yakult Honsha

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Acquiror: 
Danone

Advised Danone, a world leading food company, on its business and capital alliance with Yakult Honsha, the largest probiotic dairy product manufacturer in Japan

09-Sep-13
$2.1 billion
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Target: 

Lucozade & Ribena brands (owned by GSK)

Japan flag
Acquiror: 
Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd

Advised GlaxoSmithKline, the UK listed international pharmaceutical and consumer company, on the sale of its nutritional drinks brands Lucozade and Ribena to Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd

10-Sep-13
$NA
U.S.A., U.K. flags
Target: 

Fresh & Easy (owned by Tesco plc)

United States flag
Acquiror: 
YFE Holdings, Inc (affiliate of The Yucaipa Companies, LLC)

Advised Tesco plc, a listed FTSE 100 retailer, on the sale of a substantive part of Fresh & Easy’s operating business to YFE Holdings, Inc, an affiliate of The Yucaipa Companies, LLC

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