Boston panelists: Lots of M&A talk but valuation ‘disconnect’ stops deals from getting done

BOSTON, Massachusetts, US — There’s a lot of factors in the seafood sector right now that would suggest the pace of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is destined to heat up soon.

But for all of the talk, the pace of US seafood dealmaking slowed in 2017, at least for ‘announced’ deals, according to a recent presentation made by bankers and deal advisors speaking at an M&A panel at the Boston seafood show.

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Antarctica Advisors Acts as Exclusive Investment Banking Advisor to Mitsui & Co (U.S.A.) in a Strategic Partnership Transaction with Mark Foods

March 16, 2018 – Antarctica Advisors LLC, the leading Seafood Industry-focused M&A advisory firm, acted as the exclusive investment banking advisor to Mitsui & Co (U.S.A.) in a strategic partnership transaction with Mark Foods, a New York-based importer and marketer of quality seafood products to high-end retailers, distributors, and restaurant groups in the U.S.

Mitsui & Co (U.S.A.) is the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui & Co Ltd, one of the largest general trading companies in Japan and publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with $100 billion dollars in total assets. The group owns considerable seafood resources worldwide, including shrimp farming operations in Asia and salmon farming operations in South America.

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Financing, Mergers & Acquisitions: A Primer

Featuring Ignacio Kleiman, Managing Partner – Antarctica Advisors

The economic landscape for the global seafood industry is shaped not only by trends in the marketplace, but also by access to resources and financial capital. SeafoodSource is convening a panel of experts to discuss the challenges the industry faces and the opportunities presented by shifting interest rates, mergers and acquisitions and the forces of supply and demand.

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Boston Show 2018 Preview: A sneak peek at what’s to come

Get ready for three chaotic days. Here’s a look at new product innovations for the expo don’t forget to join the IntraFish Leadership Breakfast in Boston.

The Boston Seafood Show is upon us once more. Here’s a preview of what’s rolling out for the expo.

Also, join us in Boston for the IntraFish Leadership Breakfast “Markets, Sustainability and Leadership: Creating the Future of the Latin American Shrimp Industry.”

The program includes presentations, discussions and unrivaled networking March 12.There will be executives from Skretting, Rabobank, Antarctica Advisors, WWF and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture and more.

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Stavis takes investment from seafood group with global raw material reach

A global æshing and processing company based in the Netherlands has made an investment in US supplier Stavis Seafoods, the newly promoted CEO of the latter conærmed to Undercurrent News.

On Wednesday, importer and processor Stavis issued a statement on a “strategic partnership” with a ærm named IMV Holding, which is based in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands.

Chuck Marble, the former Stavis president who the company also announced is taking over from Richard Stavis as CEO, conærmed IMV has taken an equity stake in the Boston, Massachusetts-based processor.

He declined to comment to Undercurrent on whether IMV has taken a majority or a “This partnership sits very well with the strategy and mission of Stavis Seafoods. These are two family businesses with tremendous expertise and resources in the seafood industry. We look forward to leveraging synergies to achieve the Stavis growth strategy,” Marble told Undercurrent, in a statement.

According to Stavis, IMV has vessels and processing facilities around the globe.

Ignacio Kleiman, whose ærm Antarctica Advisors was the advisor to Stavis and the family in this transaction, said the deal is a “strategic integration play” for the US processor.

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M&A advisor: Future consolidation a must for seafood industry

‘Cases such as Pescanova will have to be defined to succeed,’ Ignacio Kleiman says.

Ignacio Kleiman, M&A advisor and managing partner at Antarctica Advisors, said there will be more consolidation in the global fishing industry if it wants to achieve better efficiency, capital and management, reports Faro de Vigo.

“To trade perishable goods, such as fishery products, with the added complexity that it is for food, has many obstacles,” Kleiman said. “It requires a certain level of sophistication.”

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Ignacio J. Kleiman: “La industria es ineficiente porque está muy fragmentada”

“Habrá más concentraciones de empresas y se acelerará la internacionalizacion”

Ignacio J. Kleiman habla desde Miami con acento argentino. Socio director de Antarctica Advisors, la compañía es una de las únicas consultoras especializadas en el sector pesquero. “Vemos esta industria como un tablero de ajedrez a nivel mundial y somos jugadores”.

– ¿Va a continuar el movimiento de consolidación de empresas en la industria pesquera?

– Absolutamente. Estamos hablando de una industria global, hay mucho movimiento de producto. El pescado está donde está, si quieres consumir pescado de agua fría en lugares cálidos tienes que moverlo, y viceversa. Además está fragmentada, hay compañías muy grandes y miles de medianas y pequeñas. A medida que la industria se vuelve más globalizada y competitiva va a tener que haber más consolidaciones porque requiere capital, calidad, eficiencia, management? Enviar productos perecederos como los pesqueros y de alto valor, con el añadido de que son para alimentación, tiene muchas barreras. Eso requiere de un cierto nivel de sofisticación.

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Antarctica Advisors named as “Most Prolific M&A Advisory Firm” in the Seafood Industry by Undercurrent News

Miami. July 20, 2017 – Antarctica Advisors LLC, the leading Seafood Industry-focused M&A advisory firm, was named as the “Most Prolific M&A Advisory Firm Focused on The Seafood Sector” by the reputable industry publication, Undercurrent News, in their recent “Seafood’s Top Dealmakers” report.

Antarctica Advisors is an independent investment banking firm providing corporate clients in the Seafood Industry with a wide range of specialized services, including M&A and Capital Raise advisory. Antarctica’s Seafood Team is uniquely positioned to assist clients globally with combination of industry knowledge, financing expertise and track record of success in deal execution.

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Antarctica Advisors Acts as Exclusive Investment Banking Advisor to Ocean Choice International L.P. in Arranging Acquisition Financing for the Purchase of Equity from Minority Shareholders

Miami. May 4, 2017 – Antarctica Advisors LLC, the leading Seafood Industry-focused M&A advisory firm, acted as the exclusive investment banking advisor to Ocean Choice International L.P. (“OCI”) in arranging and closing supplemental acquisition financing for the purchase of a minority equity stake indirectly owned by Iceland’s Visir hf. Following this transaction, OCI will be 100% owned by Martin and Blaine Sullivan, the founders and operating principals of OCI.

Newfoundland-based OCI is a leading vertically integrated seafood company engaged in harvesting, processing and marketing of a diverse range of Groundfish and Shellfish species for domestic and international markets. OCI operates six frozen-at-sea fishing vessels and five processing plants employing over 1,700 people in Atlantic Canada and at sales offices around the world.

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Rising US interest rates likely to drive M&A, says veteran dealmaker

BOSTON, US — The US Federal Reserve’s plan to continue to increase interest rates in the US will likely drive consolidation in the sector, a veteran US-based seafood banker told Undercurrent News.

Earlier in March, the Fed voted to raise the range of the federal funds rate to 0.75% and 1.00%, citing progress in labor market growth, business fixed investment and inflation. According to an article from Yahoo Finance, officials also forecast three rate hikes in 2018, with the rate reaching its long-run goal of 3.0% in 2019.

“How will the industry react to the cost of money going up? There has been a lot of cheap money around, but this is going to change,” Ignacio Kleiman, managing partner of seafood-focused boutique Antarctica Advisors told Undercurrent, during the 2017 Boston seafood showRead more