Food & Drink

We offer a full range of advisory services to companies throughout the food and drink supply chain, from primary producers through to retail operations. Our team of experienced professionals understand the food and agribusiness sector and have identified the following trends in the marketplace:

• Low stocks, harvest shortages, the rise in biofuels and increasing world demand have combined to produce a rise in grain price. The effect - beneficial for the arable sector, but severely threatening to the livestock sector, particularly intensive pigs and poultry where feed costs are significant.
• Pressure on supermarket suppliers continues to affect fortunes at the producer level. The resultant rationalisation of the supply base continues apace with opportunities apparent.
• Supermarket price wars flare again putting more pressure on suppliers suffering from rising input costs. Regulatory relief to curb instances of abuse of supermarket buyer power stills looks a long way off; the Competition Commission expects to issue its final report in May 2008 and further time will be needed to give effect to such remedies it identifies are needed.

We offer robust, commercial solutions to help you face these issues. Our expert advice is based on extensive experience in the sector and demonstrable client service, knowledge and contacts, enabling us to offer tailored strategic advice to those companies seeking to grow, or helping them manage underperforming businesses.

We offer solutions and advice in the following service areas: audit; tax; corporate finance including effective lead advisory services based on our knowledge of industry players, fund-raising, joint ventures, disposals, acquisitions, MBO/MBI’s, and financial & vender due diligence; recovery and reorganisation services from turnaround and restructuring work through to formal appointments; and operational advisory, providing advice and/or programme management on issues, risks and deals specific to a business's operations.

For further details of our service, please call Phil Jackson, Corporate Finance Partner, on +44 (0) 207 383 5100, fax to +44 (0)20 7387 5371, or e-mail phil.m.jackson@gtuk.com or Ian Carr, Recovery & Reorganisation Partner, on +44 (0)1223 225625, fax to +44 (0)1223 225618 or e-mail ian.carr@gtuk.com.