ESO Capital and Kingsley Capital Partners said May 17 they closed their investment in Janan Meat Ltd. ESO is providing 20.5 million pounds ($29.6 million) in secured debt for the deal. Both ESO and KCP will have an equity stake in Janan Meat. Janan, of the U.K., is a halal lamb and mutton supplier.
PRESS RELEASE
London, 17 May, 2016 – ESO Capital (“ESO”) and Kingsley Capital Partners (“Kingsley” or “KCP”) today announced that
they have completed an investment into Janan Meat Limited (“Janan”), the largest dedicated halal lamb and mutton provider in the United Kingdom. KCP sourced the opportunity and partnered up with ESO for this investment, which is largely in the form of £20.5m senior secured debt provided by ESO. ESO and KCP will also have an equity stake in the business.
Established in 1992, Janan is one of the UK’s fastest growing providers of halal meat and is in a strong financial situation backed by a history of profitable growth. Located in the West Midlands and employing over 150 staff, the company distributes meat to all regions in the UK, a £2 billion market, as well as offering their products to the wider European markets. Janan has been accredited by the British Retail Consortium (“BRC”) with Grade A status for the past eight years and takes animal welfare seriously. Furthermore, Janan is continuously audited by Assured British Meat (“ABM”), Food Standards Agency (“FSA”), Red Tractor, and is certified by all major halal auditors in the UK, including Halal Monitoring Committee (”HMC”) and Halal Authority Board (“HAB”). Janan provides its customers with the highest quality products available in the market.
Andrew Pickstock, Founder of Janan Meat, who continues to be on the board of directors of Janan as a significant shareholder, said: “We are excited to have ESO Capital and Kingsley as our new incoming partners. We were very impressed with their efficiency, execution capabilities, and professionalism throughout the transaction process. They have also added value from day one, reviewing and refining the company’s future strategy and providing necessary resources to achieve it. We look forward to working with ESO Capital and KCP as we move onto our next phase of growth.”
Natalia Nowak, Managing Director at ESO Capital, who led the transaction on behalf of ESO, said: “Janan is a well-established, high quality player in the UK market. We are very pleased to partner with KCP to accelerate Janan’s growth and further develop the company’s retail offering for large grocery store chains in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.”
Sina Azeri, Partner at Kingsley Capital Partners, who led the transaction on behalf of Kingsley, commented: “Janan dominates the traditional sales channels for halal meat, whilst rapidly growing its new retail sales channel. Our post investment vision is to further improve our customer service and grow to become the primary house brand for halal meat in Europe. This investment reflects our positive view on the increasing demand in halal lamb and mutton among UK and European consumers.”
Hee-Dong Kim, Managing Partner at Kingsley Capital Partners added: “As Janan seeks to scale up quickly over the next few years, the partnership between KCP and ESO will be a key success factor in facilitating the growth through its combined resources and network.”
