789 Food and Drink Acquisitions in 2019
2019 broke records again for the number of food and drink transactions around the world, with 789 registered on the Zenith Global mergers and acquisitions database, an average of 15 each week. The total is 12 more than in 2018 and 41% higher than 5 years ago. The number has increased every year since a dip in 2013.
Source: Zenith Global
The most active sectors were ingredients on 65, dairy on 63, soft drinks on 57 and packaging on 49. Beer on 38 was ahead of spirits on 35 and wine on 28.
The top 15 sectors were the same as 2018, with the exception of CBD replacing confectionery. The combination of plant-based (15) with dairy-free (14) and meat-free (11) totalled 40. Bottled water and water coolers added up to 23. Vertical farming was a newcomer with 8.
The biggest increases were for CBD (+19) and beer (+15). Many of the main categories saw declines, led by services (-19), confectionery (-18) and wine (-9).
Source: Zenith Global
Of the record 789 food and drink transactions registered on the Zenith Global mergers and acquisitions database for 2019, 24 involved sums of $1,000 million or more. This is down from the 28 noted in 2018 and the lowest number in recent years apart from 2016.
Top 10 global food and drink transactions 2019
Source: Zenith Global
The $72 billion combined value of the top 10 was below any of the previous 4 years – 31% less than the $104 billion for the top 10 of 2018 and just 20% of the $365 billion for the top 10 of 2015.
The 24 over $1 billion totalled $90 billion, compared with $141 billion for the 28 over $1 billion in 2018, $115 billion for the 33 over $1 billion in 2017, $190 billion for the 22 over $1 billion in 2016 and $403 billion for the 27 over $1 billion in 2015.
