Natural Balance Foods has confirmed its shareholders are "considering options" for the business in the wake of speculation it has received takeover bids for the business.
A report in The Daily Telegraph yesterday (3 August) claimed UK biscuit business Burton's Biscuit Co. was mulling a bid for the Nakd and Trek bar maker.
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The newspaper also said Kellogg and Hain Celestial could compete with Burton's for the business. All three declined to comment on the matter.
Today, a spokesperson for Natural Balance Foods told just-food: "After ten years, some early Natural Balance Foods shareholders are amicably considering retirement. Therefore the remaining shareholders, including founders Greg and Jamie Combs, are considering options. This is a private matter.
"The Natural Balance Foods mission steadfastly remains to pioneer and champion the wholefood revolution around the globe and the team continues to be passionately committed to the business."
Reports that Natural Balance Foods was seeking an outside investor began to surface in March this year.
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By GlobalDataAccording to a filing at Companies House, Natural Balance saw its net profit almost double to in GBP1.1m in 2014 from GBP546,000 a year earlier.
Operating profit in 2014 was GBP1.3m, compared to GBP681,000 in 2013. Turnover jumped 77% to GBP13.3m.
In the filing one of the owners, Jamie Combs said: "The last 12 months have seen Natural Balance Foods grow at an astonishing rate, this is due to incredibly strong growth in all of our sales categories, particularly the grocery sector. Overall, the growth is underpinned by a mainstream shift towards healthy eating."
