S-Ventures continues nutrition investment spree with Pulsin acquisition
The €8.8m (£7.5m) deal sees Simon Ashburner continue as Pulsin’s Managing Director as well as becoming a member of S-Ventures’ senior executive team.
“We are delighted in the successful sale and move to S-Ventures and look forward to further developing the brand in the UK and internationally," he comments.
Formed in 2007, Pulsin, recorded gross sales of around €8.3m (£7.05m) in the twelve months and approximately €1.4m (£1.2m) of net debt leading up to 30 April 2021.
Headquartered in Gloucester, UK, the firm specialises in snack bars, protein powders, keto products and shakes for the health and fitness consumer both under the Pulsin brand as well as for third parties.
Further agreement details sees S-Ventures provide a combination of around €2.4m (£2m) in cash, approximately €2.4m (£2m) in loan notes issued by S-Ventures plus a total of 15,176,814 ordinary shares of 0.1p each in S-Ventures.
Three million ordinary shares are deferred and contingent upon the net sales performance of Pulsin in the twelve months to 31 December 2021.
Reinforcing brand presence
"We are delighted to welcome the Pulsin team to the S-Ventures family,” adds S-Ventures' CEO Scott Livingston.
“We look forward to accelerating the progress Pulsin has made in establishing itself as a prominent brand in this space.
“Pulsin is an important acquisition for S-Ventures and reinforces our brand presence, total infrastructure and opportunity for synergy."
Charles Lanceley, Head of UK Food & Beverage at Alantra, the investment bank that advised Pulsin, adds, “We are pleased to have supported the shareholders of Pulsin in finding a strategic partner that not only supports the business’s growth plans but also has total alignment in vision and values.
“S-Ventures has a highly experienced team and is building an exciting platform of complementary brands in the health and wellness space. We look forward to seeing this partnership flourish.”
The purchase closely follows S-Ventures’ interest in probiotic snack brand Ohso Chocolate in which the investors acquired a 75.1% interest in the Woking-based firm for just under €350,000 (£300,000).
Currently sold via retailers such as Boots and Holland and Barrett as well the firm’s own subscription website, the firm microencapsulates over a billion live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria into every Ohso bar.
Vegan Punk Ventures
Other food and nutrition-based acquisitions include August’s joint venture with Vegan Punk Ventures Limited to boost production and sale of plant-based meat and fish alternatives.
Terms of the agreement will see S-Ventures own 50% of the issued share capital of Vegan Punk Ventures with an investment of up to €118,000 (£100,000) in loans to co-fund the joint venture.
At the start of the year, S-Ventures also acquired a 75.1% interest in We Love Purely Limited equating to approximately €161,764 (£137,600) at a price of 9p per share along with a cash payment of £35,267 (£30,000) to repay an outstanding Purely shareholder loan.
Purely is a healthy snacking brand, offering a plantain crisp product, Purely Plantain Chips, in the UK and international markets.
