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THE company behind John West, Britain's best know brand of canned fish, is reported to be on the market with a price tag of around £400-million.
The private equity firm Trilantic Capital Partners is thought to be about to launch the sale of MW Brands which owns John West along with a number of other European brands including Permentier Sardines.
John West was once owned by an equally famous brand - Heinz but was sold in a £290 million deal to Lehman brothers Merchant Banking in 2006 which collapsed last year. Trilantic is the former private equity business of Lehman Brothers, which was taken over by its former bosses following the collapse.Such a potential sale would mark another step in the recovery of a private equity industry hit by the credit crunch and recession.
Liverpool-based John West was founded more than 140 years ago by a Scotsman of the same name who set up canning factories in the United States. The name was bought by two Liverpool merchants who began importing canned salmon in 1892. The business has had several owners along the way including Unilever which purchased the business in 1963, with branches of the firm soon established in Australia and Africa.
In 1997 the company was bought by food giant Heinz, which in turn sold it on to Trilantic in 2006. Trilantic has so far declined to comment on the speculation.
In recent times it has become famous for its universal advertising slogan "It's the fish John West rejects that makes John West the best." Its top selling products are salmon, which first appeared in the US in 1892, and tuna.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
