By Greg Hazley
PR firms are working Joh. A Benckiser Group’s $340M acquisition of publicly traded, premium coffeehouse operator Caribou Coffee Company.
The $16-per-share deal, announced Dec. 17, is a 30 percent premium over Minneapolis-based Caribou’s Dec. 14 closing share price.
Ruder Finn’s New York office handles Caribou and is working media for the deal. Caribou was founded in 1992 and claims to be the No. 2 company-operated coffeehouse operator in the U.S., based on its 610 stores and 202 franchises.
Abernathy MacGregor Group is counseling and handling media relations for the acquisition for Benckiser, which owns stakes in Reckitt Benckiser (minority), Coty, Jimmy Choo and Peet’s Coffee & Tea (majority).
Benckiser said Caribou will continue to be operated as an independent company with its own brand, management team and growth strategy, based in Minneapolis. |