Brian Shortsleeve’s Post

SCALA work with many businesses who are considering (or already undertaking) mergers and acquisitions to ensure that the impact on the supply chain and all its potential benefits and challenges are considered at the due diligence stage. SCALA Executive Director Dave Howorth shares his advice in this article in Food Logistics on the specific challenges around M&A in the food and drink sector. Please do get in touch if you are involved in M&A and would like more information about how SCALA can help. #supplychain #consulting #logistics #mergersandacquisitions

Good take on c-store consolidation and how differentiation and community engagement is critical. Also critical is that many food service points of differentiation require more square footage and employees per location than traditional c-stores. So many successful operators need new store builds to expand and keep their brands differentiated.

During and immediately after the pandemic, food and beverage companies were focused on diversification and supply chain optimization. Now, years later, organizations are shifting priorities and turning their attention to strategic growth. One way to achieve this? M&A activity. Strategies supporting M&A success in today’s environment include depth over breadth, SKU rationalization, Revenue Growth Centers of Excellence, and change management. Read the full article here: https://hubs.la/Q02PcBYD0 #mergers #acquisitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: eShipping Announces Closing of Two Strategic Acquisitions Superior Transport & Logistics and Synapsum Enhance Platform’s Offering and Leadership Team Kansas City, MO (February 27, 2024) – eShipping, a tech-enabled, asset-light provider of managed transportation and logistics services, today announced the closing of two strategic acquisitions as the company continues its growth trajectory – Superior Transport & Logistics and Synapsum. Superior Transport & Logistics is a leader in custom transportation solutions, including less-than-truckload and truckload brokerage, parcel services and transportation management systems. Synapsum is a leading supply chain analytics software provider that delivers proprietary data solutions for shippers to improve margins by connecting data across sales and logistics. These recent acquisitions further strengthen eShipping’s competitive position and ability to provide more custom data, insights, and visibility for its shippers. READ MORE:

Last week, we announced SalSon's interest in continuing to drive growth through M&A following our recent geographic expansion and nationwide integration. We have robust infrastructure, assets and talent in place, and we value opportunities that further augment our service capabilities, sector expertise and create operational synergies. This is a pivotal moment for Salson Logistics as we explore strategic opportunities to deliver even greater value to our clients. Stay tuned as we continue to push boundaries in the logistics industry. Read more in MergerMarket's recent article: https://lnkd.in/g69De6b3 #Logistics #MergersAndAcquisitions #Growth #SupplyChain #SalsonLogistics

After a merger or acquisition, organizations need strategies to ensure supply chain efficiency and successful integration. In Food and Beverage Magazine's latest issue, Catena Solutions Senior Vice President Geoff Coltman shared his insights on this topic and why systems, processes, and change management should be top priorities. Read the piece for ways to streamline growth: https://lnkd.in/guE45YnD #mergers #acquisitions

🔗 Achieving Growth and Efficiency Through Integration! ✨ In the context of business acquisitions, two key strategies come into play: Horizontal Integration and Vertical Integration.   🔍 HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION: Horizontal integration involves acquiring businesses that operate at the same level or within the same industry. The purpose is to expand market share, increase economies of scale, and eliminate competition. Example: ✍ Both fast-food chains operate at the same level in the industry, offering similar products (burgers, fries, etc.). One of them acquires the other.   🌐 VERTICAL INTEGRATION: Vertical integration involves acquiring businesses that operate in different stages of the same production vertical or supply chain. These stages can be either upstream-backward integration (suppliers) or downstream-forward integration (distributors). This strategy aims to strengthen the supply chain, improve efficiency, and gain better control over the production process. Examples: ✍ Backward Integration: A bakery acquiring a wheat processor or even a wheat farm.  ✍ Forward Integration: Manufacturers opening their own retail locations to sell products directly to consumers.   🌟Be ready to take your business to new heights! 📈 #BusinessGrowth #IntegrationStrategies #HorizontalIntegration #VerticalIntegration #SuccessAhead #BusinessAcquisition #BackwardIntegration #ForwardIntegration

When inventory management feels like playing a game of Tetris, you’ve got problems. Overflow warehousing can be the solution in those moments, allowing you to put away video game-style inventory management so you can: - Handle seasonal demand surges without long-term commitments. - Streamline inventory management during acquisitions or product rollouts. - Enjoy a new level of flexibility and rapid scalability. At Estes Forwarding Worldwide, we offer a network of 29 warehouse locations across 20 cities. Our clients benefit from flexible, on-demand storage solutions that keep them ahead of the game in today’s dynamic market. Check out the article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gb4xggq2 #EFWExperience #warehousing #inventory #storage

4 years ago: Rawlings operated alone. Today: We have 3 brands operating under Rawlings Group. While it can seem a little confusing, it’s actually rather simple. For years Rawlings has provided clients with: ✅Premium packaging for drinks, food, health, and beauty products. ✅Top-tier packaging and brand design expertise. But, I knew I wanted to do more because I could see that clients were still struggling. - They were going through multiple suppliers. - Creating inefficiencies and complexities. - Wasting their time and effort. And really, were just frustrated at the process. There was clearly a gap we needed to fill. That is when the lightbulb moment came: Our clients don’t just need high-quality packaging. They need an entire high quality end-to-end solution. Including top-notch processing machinery 🙌 So, I found us the perfect fit, Vigo. - We set up meetings with their Directors. - We agreed on a merger. - We got to work. 3 years later, it is the best decision we could have made. Not only has this opened the door to our existing clients receiving the benefits of a streamlined solution. But, word started to spread too… Bringing in new clients who were desperately looking for that level of convenience and efficiency. So, if you’ve been wondering whether or not mergers are the right decision. For us, opening Rawlings to growth by acquisition, allowed us to achieve what we couldn’t alone. Maybe it could do the same for you.

I spent the evening reading the Commerce Commission's latest Statement of Unresolved Issues for the Foodstuffs merger - and it's exceptionally poor. For those following along at home, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island have applied to merge, which would result in the number of supermarket operators falling from 3 to 2, with highly negative effects likely for both suppliers and consumers in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Commerce Commission has been assessing the merger application since December last year, and this is the third document in the series - after the Statement of Preliminary Issues (January) and the Statement of Issues (April). So there's been plenty of time for ComCom to consider the issues (haha) and come up with a document that cuts to the chase. But no. The latest document is merely a tired retread of the earlier Statements, covering the same ground in much the same way, and asking the same questions of the same submitters. And what's entirely missing is any evidence the Commission has been modelling the impacts of the proposed merger; there's no data, there's no quantitative analysis, there's no application of the mathematical and statistical tools that could shed light on the likely competition issues. The Statement of Unresolved Issues is merely anecdote and reckons, barely above the level of he-said/she-said summaries of previous submissions. We deserve better than this from our competition regulator. The supermarket sector is an expensive oligopoly that costs Kiwis dearly every time they head to the checkout with the weekly groceries - and the reason for that excessive market consolidation can be laid directly at the feet of the Commerce Commission itself, which has approved too many ill-considered mergers, just like this one. As the Statement of Unresolved Issues shows, the Commerce Commission is part of the problem, not part of the solution. It needs to step up and do the analytical mahi, rather than just wringing its hands. Tex Edwards Andrew Bayly Ernie Newman Tom Pullar-Strecker GAG (Grocery Action Group Inc) https://lnkd.in/dRD_zkCi