Baker Tilly advises METRO on acquisition of Caterite
With the advice of Baker Tilly, the leading international food wholesaler METRO has acquired the British food service specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice and is thus further expanding its supply business in Great Britain.
The consulting firm Baker Tilly advised METRO on the acquisition of the British food service specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice. The advice included financial due diligence, which was provided by engagement partner Nils Klamar and director Daniel Zeiß. The team was supported by junior manager Felix Ptok, among others.
With the acquisition, METRO expands its supply business in the Lake District and other northern regions of Great Britain and creates synergies with Classic Fine Foods UK. The strategic acquisition not only accelerates METRO’s nationwide Food Service Distribution (FSD) expansion in England, Scotland and Wales, but also strengthens the leading food wholesaler’s ambition to increase FSD’s share of total sales to 33 % by 2030. In recent years, METRO has already acquired and successfully integrated various FSD specialists.
METRO is a leading international food wholesaler specializing in the needs of hotels, restaurants and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent retailers (Trader). The more than 15 million METRO customers worldwide benefit from the wholesaler’s unique multi-channel mix: customers can procure their goods both in one of the large-scale local markets and via delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD) - all digitally supported and networked. At the same time, METRO MARKET has become an international online marketplace for the needs of professional customers that has been growing and expanding continuously since 2019. “Acting sustainably” is one of the company’s principles; METRO is listed, among others, in the sustainability indices and rankings MSCI, Sustainalytics and CDP. METRO operates in over 30 countries and employs more than 89,000 people worldwide. In the 2022/23 financial year, METRO generated sales of € 30.6 billion.
Caterite serves its customers through its main brands Caterite and Grapevine. The company offers a wide range of fresh and frozen food, value-added products (Caterite brand) and beverages (Grapevine brand), with a focus on fresh products and meat. Key customer segments include hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés, which are supplied from three locations with 70 multi-temperature trucks. 60 % of sales are processed via the company’s online shop, which offers a high level of personalized customer service.
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For more information on Caterite Food & Wineservice, please click here.
