Graze, the retail snacks specialist, is being lined up for a £300m sale by its private-equity owner.
Graze, originally a subscription specialist, is being offered for sale by Carlyle, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
Carlyle, which has just sold health foods retailer Holland & Barrett for £1.8bn to Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman’s L1 vehicle, took a majority stake in Graze, valued at approximately £50m, in 2012.
The retailer was established by Lovefilm co-founder Graham Bosher in 2008 and sells boxes of nuts, seeds and similar healthy products.
As well as selling directly, Graze also retails through established grocers.
Boss Anthony Fletcher has taken Graze into in the US, but most growth is coming through more than 9,000 high-street outlets such as Sainsbury’s and WHSmith.
Stateside, Graze products are on sale in more than 7,500 stores. Revenues advanced 3.2% last year to £70.3m, although pre-tax profits slid 27% to £6.7m as the retailer invested in its offer.
Carlyle was reported to have been encouraged by this year’s sales growth and the vogue for healthy eating. It was reported that a formal sale process would begin next year.
A Graze spokesman told the newspaper: “Graze is a successful business, focused on delivering its ambitious plan to be the world’s largest healthy snack brand. There is currently no sales process under way.”
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