A&M Capital Europe (“AMCE”), a London-based middle-market private equity investment firm with €650 million of assets under management, announces the acquisition of a majority stake in World of Sweets and Bobby’s (together “IBG” or the “Group”), a leading brand owner and tech-enabled distributor of confectionery, baked goods and savoury snacks into the convenience retail, specialty, wholesale and grocery channels, from Sculptor Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: SCU) (“Sculptor”).
Headquartered in Loughborough, United Kingdom, we believe IBG has a strong position in the large and resilient UK snacking market, combining a multichannel and tech-enabled go-to-market distribution capability alongside differentiated brand management and innovation expertise. The Group serves a diverse base of 60,000+ customers and owns brands that include Bobby’s, Bonds of London, Kingsway, Crazy Candy Factory and Candy Realms whilst partnering with major international brands, including Pez, Nerds and Tootsie.
The partnership with AMCE is expected to enable IBG to strengthen its existing position, underpinned by the continued growth of its owned and partner brands and new exclusive partnerships.
Additionally, the Group plans to drive further growth across its digitally enabled routes to market. With AMCE’s support, IBG also intends to actively pursue bolt-on acquisitions, focusing primarily on branded targets in existing and new categories where the Group can leverage its unique distribution footprint.
IBG will continue under the leadership of its existing management team, led by CEO Wayne Beedle, with Wayne and his team investing alongside AMCE.
AMCE was advised by Weil, Gotshal & Manges and DWF as legal advisers, Houlihan Lokey as financial adviser, MDW Capital Partners as debt adviser, EY Parthenon as commercial adviser, Palladium as digital and IT adviser, Alvarez & Marsal as accounting adviser and EY as tax adviser.
About A&M Capital Europe
AMCE is a pan-European, London-headquartered, middle-market private equity investment firm specialising in providing financial, strategic and operational support to growing European businesses. AMCE Fund I currently has €650 million of assets under management, and IBG represents AMCE’s fifteenth transaction. More broadly, AMCE is part of A&M Capital, a multi-strategy private equity investment firm with €4.2 billion in assets under management across four investment strategies. In addition, A&M Capital maintains a strategic association with Alvarez & Marsal, one of the world’s largest operationally focused advisory firms. For additional information, please visit A&M Capital’s website at www.a-mcapital.com.
