30 biscuit brands up for sale by Metis Partners
The IP assets for sale include Rivington Biscuits brand portfolio, a registered trade mark portfolio and organizational knowledge.
April 25 deadline
All offers should be submitted directly to Metis Partners by noon on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.
Nat Baldwin, head of corporate recovery and brokerage, Metis Partners, said the sale of the IP surrounding the brands will be of intense interest in the UK biscuit market, estimated to be worth £4bn last year.
There will also be significant opportunities to extend the brands into international markets.
"Rivington Biscuits’ products were well-known in the market and were sold through a number of national retail chains. The company catered for a variety of markets and was well-positioned in the growing 'free-from' sector with products such as its No Wheat gluten-free chocolate and orange wafer," he said.
Nearly 30 different biscuits manufactured by Rivington Biscuits, based in Wigan in Lancashire, formerly owned by Dutch company Van Delft will be on offer.
The company went into administration last year with the loss of 99 jobs, blaming the fall in the value of the sterling in the wake of Brexit.
Its biscuit ranges were popular in UK supermarkets, including Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Tesco and Iceland.
FRP Advisory
Metis Partners has been asked by Russell Cash and Ben Wollrych of FRP Advisory to conduct the worldwide campaign to market and dispose of the biscuit brand portfolio.
FRP said in a statement at the time: "Rivington Biscuits experienced particularly challenging trading conditions over the past year, resulting in significant pressure on profit margins and cash flow.
"The problems were compounded by the sharp decline in the value of the pound against the euro. The company was left with no viable alternative other than to seek the protection of administration while a long-term solution can be explored."
The sale is likely to be of particular interest to companies operating in the fields of biscuit manufacturing, retail, lifestyle and brand acquisition.
The sale also reinforces Metis Partners' expertise in the retail sector, which includes the marketing of FMCG1, Get Juiced, Natural Hero, John Letters, Bank Fashion, Ortak and Miss Scarlett.
