Sun Capital Partners, a private-equity firm based in the US, has been linked with a possible bid for up-for-sale UK food company Young’s Seafood.
A number of UK media sources, including The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, are saying they understand Florida-based Sun Capital is weighing up making an offer for the company.
Young’s has been owned by private-equity firms Lion Capital, Bain Capital and HPS Investment Partners for the last decade but they announced their intention to sell last week stating they “intend to start a structured and open bidding process”.
Investment house Stamford Partners has been hired to handle the sale process, which some estimates suggest could value Young’s at up to GBP300m (US$418.3m).
Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation – the owner of canned food producer Princes – has also been linked with making a bid for Young’s, which employs around 2,000 staff and has a turnover of more than GBP500m.
Sun Capital Partners has previously been linked with making bids for other food businesses in the same category – Manchester-based Sykes Seafoods and Seachill UK.
The buyout house has made a series of investments in the food business, most recently the acquisition of UK business Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods in 2016.
just-food has contacted Sun Capital Partners for comment.
