AlixPartners announces that hospitality and leisure experts from its M&A team have advised Vacherin on its merger with CH&CO, the independent hospitality caterer and Royal Warrant holder.
Vacherin, based in London’s Hatton Garden, operates from 45 locations across London providing clients with premium hospitality, catering and reception services. Founded in 2002 and wholly-owned by Mark Philpott, Clive Hetherington and Phil Roker, Vacherin has enjoyed consistent organic growth and received numerous industry awards recognizing excellence in quality, service and sustainability.
CH&CO employs over 10,000 people at nearly 1,100 locations across the UK and Ireland. The combination of Vacherin and CH&CO sees the company expand its portfolio significantly in London and follows an active 2019 for CH&CO. During that time, the business attracted investment from Equistone and subsequently merged its Destinations business with Company of Cooks while also acquiring Gather & Gather and Creativevents from Mitie plc.
Graeme Smith, Head of Corporate Finance and a Managing Director at AlixPartners, commented:
“This is positive news for the sector as it highlights the continued commitment of private equity to support transaction-led growth to create value. This deal will enable Vacherin to move onto the next stage of its growth and development with the support of CH&CO and for CH&CO it adds an award-winning premium London based brand to their impressive stable. We wish both parties well”.
Mark Philpott, co-owner of Vacherin added:
“We chose to work with AlixPartners based on their unrivaled sector knowledge, impressive track record of achieving market-leading values and commitment to a senior-led approach. The AlixPartners team provided invaluable, assertive and honest advice throughout the process culminating in a fantastic outcome for all parties. We are delighted with the result, which affords a great platform for the continued growth of Vacherin’s widely recognized high quality and innovative offering”.
This deal builds on AlixPartners’ track record as a leading advisor to the industry, following on from advising on deals for The Brookwood Partnership and Harbour & Jones. This deal was led by Graeme Smith, Azeem Ahmed and Theunis Maritz.