Oghma Partners

Freshcut Foods

© Freshcut Foods
Investments & Acquisitions

UK Food & Beverage M&A Activity Reaches Highest Deal Volume Since 2016

A report by corporate finance house Oghma Partners has found an increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the UK food and beverage sector. Deal volume increased in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, reaching the highest levels since T1 2016. However, deal values remained low; only 4.7% of deals were above £50.0 million in Enterprise Value, and none surpassed £100.0 million. Total deal value decreased by 31.7% compared to the same period last year. This is largely due to challenging macroeconomic headwinds in the UK, which have persisted despite the recent easing of market conditions. Furthermore, 14% of deals were acquisitions out of administration, as inflation and high interest created a difficult trading and funding environment …

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UK food and beverage sector sees increase in mergers and acquisitions

© Meatless Farm
Investments & Acquisitions

UK F&B Sector Sees Increase in Mergers and Acquisitions, Plant-Based Shakeout Continues

According to a new report by corporate finance house Oghma Partners, there has been a significant increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the UK food and beverage sector over the past year. However, plant-based companies have continued to face difficulties. In 2023, total deal volume increased to 116, up from 74 in 2022. Total deal value rose by around 20%, reaching £2,100 million. In the first half of the year, issues that had affected deals in 2022 — such as inflationary cost pressures, the cost of living crisis, and the increased cost of debt — continued to suppress higher-value deals. However, there was an increase in activity in the second half of the year, reflecting pent-up seller activity and businesses acquired out of administration; …

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GOOD Meat chicken breast

GOOD Meat chicken breast © Eat Just
Cultivated Meat

Report on Cultivated Meat Predicts “Shake-Out Similar to Plant-Based Meat” Sector and Consolidation Amongst Players

A report published today by UK corporate finance house Oghma Partners has found that interest in cultivated meat has skyrocketed as the industry scales and becomes more economically viable, however, the authors project that a shakeout is likely and that could involve consolidation amongst the key players. Cultivated meat startups first began to emerge in the late 2010s, with around $176 million invested in the industry from 2016 to 2019. In the period 2020 to 2021, this rose to over $2.15 billion. Oghma Partners estimates that more than $3.17 billion has been invested in cultivated meat to date. “Significant investment into the cultivated meat industry has led to increasing cap-ex spend, with many companies scaling up production capacity and R&D facilities,” said Mark Lynch, partner …

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