Notable Global Acquisitions By Ali Group, Micromatic, Middleby And Vollrath

Four major companies in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry announced noteworthy mergers and acquisitions in the past month:

• ·Ali Group, parent company of 76 global foodservice equipment brands, announced September 17 that it has closed on its agreement to acquire InterMetro Industries and its subsidiaries, including Metro, from Emerson. InterMetro has been manufacturing storage, transport and technology solutions for the foodservice, healthcare and commercial products markets for more than 86 years. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In announcing the acquisition, Luciano Berti, Ali Group’s Chairman and CEO, stated: “InterMetro’s leadership in the storage-solutions sector opens new opportunities and adds a new dimension to our ability to serve the foodservice equipment market. The addition of very strong and well-recognized brands to those of the Group increases Ali’s global presence and visibility,” Berti added. The Ali Group, headquartered in Milan, Italy, has its North American operations based in Chicago. The company has 55 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries and sales and service subsidiaries throughout Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

• Chicago-based Middleby Corp. announced in September that it will acquire AGA Rangemaster Group, the British manufacturer of residential kitchen equipment including ranges, ovens and refrigeration, for about US$200 million. The AGA portfolio includes AGA, Rangemaster, Mercury, Falcon, Marvel, Stanley and La Cornue. Headquartered in Leamington Spa, the firm has approximately $400 million in annual revenue and more than 2,500 employees worldwide. Since January, Middleby has acquired four commercial foodservice equipment manufacturers: Thurne, Marel’s high-speed slicing business; deck-oven maker Marsal & Sons; and Induc, a Chinese induction-cooking equipment maker.

• The Vollrath Co., the U.S. maker of cookware, bakeware, pastry tools and serving equipment, acquired Miguel Pujadas, S.A., in August. The Santa Coloma, Spain-based company, founded in 1921, makes and distributes a wide range of cookware, steam-table pans, buffet and servingware, warewashing racks and light equipment. The acquisition allows Sheboygan, Wis.-based Vollrath to expand its global manufacturing base and diversify its distribution channels globally, the company said. Pujadas also offers carts and shelving, healthcare service items and tableware in bamboo and melamine, items not currently in Vollrath’s catalog.

• In an acquisition that greatly expands its presence in the global beverage business, Micro Matic A/S has acquired Valpar Industrial Ltd., a manufacturer and supplier of beverage tubes and pythons to breweries and soft drink producers worldwide. Founded in 1982, Bangor, Northern Ireland-based Valpar was the first company to produce machine-made pythons, which help maintain beer and soft drinks at low temperatures. Micro Matic USA, headquartered in Brooksville, Fla., is a leading manufacturer and supplier of keg valves and dispensing equipment in more than 120 countries. Valpar was sold to Micro Matic for an undisclosed sum by The O’Neill Group; Valpar’s Managing Director John O’Neill and the rest of Valpar’s management team and 78 employees will remain and continue manufacturing in Northern Ireland.