68 acquisitions in January

2019 started with 68 food and drink industry transactions recorded in the bevblog.net mergers and acquisitions database for January.

Most were modest, including 17 fund raising rounds, with just 2 involving sums of more than $500 million. In fact, both of these exceeded $3,000 million.

• £3,320 million for US-based Apollo private equity to buy UK-based RPC in packaging.

• €3,200 million sales for the French co-operative merger between d’Aucy and Triskalia to form Eureden.

Of the 68, 10 were in alcohol, 9 in dairy, 9 in packaging, 6 in ingredients and 4 in bakery.

Emerging categories included 3 for meal kits, 2 for plant-based and a first for CBD (cannabidiol) as well as for hydroponic (vertical farming).

34 were within national borders, 19 in the United States, 5 in France and 4 in the United Kingdom. 34 were international, spanning 30 countries.

Across the total, 32 featured the United States, 12 France, 10 the United Kingdom, 4 Germany and 3 India.