Middle market investment bank Harris Williams & Co has advised Bridgepoint on its agreement with Burger King Europe GmbH (BKE), an affiliate of Restaurant Brands International Inc (RBI), to become the UK master franchisee of Burger King, with exclusive rights to the brand in the UK.
Harris Williams & Co also advised on Bridgepoint’s simultaneous acquisition of Caspian UK Group Limited (Caspian), one of the UK’s largest Burger King franchisees with 74 restaurants. The transactions were led by Edward Arkus, Will Bain and Faye Maughan of Harris Williams & Co’s Consumer Group.
“Burger King is one of the largest fast food hamburger chains in the world, and the UK operation is a vital component of its success,” says Edward Arkus, a managing director at Harris Williams & Co. “We are delighted to have advised Bridgepoint on this transaction, which further enhances our long-standing track record of advising companies in the UK restaurant sector.”
Will Bain, a director in the firm’s Consumer Group, adds: “This represents an exciting opportunity in the sector, and with Bridgepoint’s support and backing, there is significant potential to further develop the business. We look forward to following the continued development of Burger King in the UK.”
Bridgepoint is a European private equity firm. With over EUR20 billion of capital raised to date, it typically focuses on acquiring well-managed companies in attractive sectors helping companies and management teams by investing in expansion, operational transformation or via consolidating acquisitions. Current investments in the food and casual dining sector include Zizzi & ASK Italian, Coco di Mama, Deliveroo and Pret A Manger.
RBI is one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with more than USD29 billion in system-wide sales and over 23,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and US territories. RBI owns three of the world’s most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – Tim Hortons, Burger King and PopEyes. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 40 years.
Caspian owns and operates franchised fast food restaurants in the UK. Founded in 1993, Caspian currently employs more than 2,200 full and part time staff, serving more than 250,000 customers per week.
