Meow!
General Mills announced this morning that it intends to acquire Whitebridge Pet Brands for $1.45B (4.5x revenue). This builds upon the 2018 acquisition of Blue Buffalo for $8B (6.5x revenue). This looks like a smart move on several fronts:
- Consistent with the “shrink to grow” portfolio shaping trend.?The sale of low-growth Yogurt for $2.1B (1.5x revenue) and the acquisition of faster-growing Whitebridge for $1.45B (4.5x revenue) are close enough in size and timing to call it a swap. General Mills nets ~$1B less revenue but gains a more synergistic, growth-focused portfolio.
- Synergy opportunities.?The technology to extrude pet food and snacks isn’t vastly different from cereal, and General Mills’ broad customer reach offers significant distribution expansion opportunities. This is their fifth pet acquisition since 2018, so they’re steadily building expertise and reach within the category.
- Adapting to changing population dynamics.?If your business model depends on feeding more humans, you’re in trouble. Around the world, people are having fewer children, but many are offsetting this by adding more pets. Expanding in pet food gives General Mills access to a growing market to help counterbalance the population headwinds.
While performance in General Mills’ Pet segment has been challenging recently, the 4.5x multiple reflects the company’s commitment to the segment and its belief in long-term growth potential.
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Mr.FARMER bv - Ingredients for Life / USAgri foods - plantbased solutions
1 个月Congrats on this great step forward Anchor Ingredients Company.