Karro Food Group sold to CapVest

The deal has been approved by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in Ireland.
Malton-based Karro, which has a turnover in excess of £550 million and employs more than 3,000 people, has enjoyed four consecutive years of strong profit growth since coming under Endless’ ownership.

Endless acquired Karro in January 2013 from Dutch food conglomerate Vion when the firm was a heavy loss-maker. 

The transaction will see the Karro management team, led by Executive Chair Di Walker, remain with the business.

Operating from seven sites across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Karro now employs more than 3,100 people.

The firm was named the winner of the Turnaround category at The Yorkshire Post’s Excellence in Business Awards last year.

Di Walker, Executive Chair, said: “Endless has been a great owner of Karro and I would like to thank them for all their support and input over the last four years. This has helped us transform and grow Karro into the highly successful business it is today, with a clear strategic role in the supply of British pork.

“Along with our new owners, CapVest, we have ambitious plans to grow the business further and we are very excited about the scale of the future opportunities. In the meantime it’s very much business as usual for our management, employees and customers as we look with confidence to the next phase in our journey.”

Aidan Robson, Partner at Endless, said: “Karro is another fantastic turnaround story for Endless. Over the last four years we have worked with a very talented management team, led by Di Walker, to transform what was a heavily loss making, non-core division of a European cooperative into one of the leading British pork producers.

“During this time we have invested over £45m in capital improvement projects, focused primarily on locally reared British pork and produced enough bacon for over 1 billion bacon butties. We wish Di and the management team, along with their new owners, CapVest, all the best for the future. It has been a remarkable four-year journey and Karro is a business that we are immensely proud of at Endless.”

Corporate Finance advisors Spayne Lindsay, led by Paul Satchell, and law firm Walker Morris, led by corporate partner Debbie Jackson, advised Endless. Di Walker and the management team were advised by Park Place Corporate Finance and Walker Morris.