60 acquisitions in March

Despite coronavirus and widening lockdown measures, 60 food and drink transactions were recorded on the Zenith Global mergers and acquisitions database for March, more than in March 2019.

Three involved sums greater than $1,000 million and one more reached $500 million:

• £4,200 million in UK recycling for Planets UK Bidco to buy Viridor from Pennon

• $3,850 million in US soft drinks for PepsiCo to purchase Rockstar

• €2,100 million in French packaging for Japan’s Kokusai Pulp and Paper to acquire 83.5% of Antalis from Sequana and Bpifrance

• $500 million in US meat-free series F funding for Impossible Foods led by South Korea’s Mirae

Of the 60 total, 12 were in alcohol, 8 in dairy, 6 in soft drinks, 4 in packaging and 3 each in CBD, ingredients and snacks.

39 were within national borders, 29 of those in the United States, 4 in France and 3 in the United Kingdom. 21 were international.

Across all 60, the United States featured in 35, France in 13, the United Kingdom in 7 and Japan in 4.