Establishing Brand Positioning and Category Expansion Opportunity
Conducted a 3-week customer & market due diligence to establish the health and growth profile of the target’s current product categories and validate the target’s product category expansion opportunities. To this end, Gotham: analyzed retailer-/SKU-level NielsenIQ data; conducted a survey of over 2,500 consumers; and conducted interviews with key food retailers and distributors. Gotham’s in-depth analysis of the low/no-sugar sweet snacks market, the target’s brand positioning, and the target’s growth opportunities provided our client with the robust, reliable fact base needed to compete aggressively in this hotly-contested auction.
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Establishing Growth Prospects, Margin Risk, CapEx Risk, and Operations Improvement Opportunities at Private Label Canned Food Manufacturer
In sync with the needs of each stage of the deal process, conducted phased customer, market, and operational due diligence, initially focusing on: 1) growth outlook – established the target’s category presence, identified key market trends, and built a model to project category growth; 2) competitive positioning – interviewed 27 PL and category buyers from supermarkets, wholesalers, food service companies, and brokers; and 3) CapEx and operational risk – visited the target’s 3 plants, assessed capacity, and reviewed operational improvement plans. After the client signed the LOI, Gotham conducted: a deep dive assessment of margin risk, using 7-year SKU-level price/margin data and outlook for major input cost drivers; and an in-depth operational diagnostic of material yield, direct labor, and inventory costs.
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Validating National Expansion Opportunity for a Regional Refrigerated Mexican Food Brand
Conducted a 2-phase due diligence to: (1) validate the national expansion opportunity in grocery, (2) validate the growth opportunity in foodservice, and (3) assess operations risks and opportunities. Gotham interviewed ~70 retail and foodservice buyers and surveyed ~4,000 consumers to establish target’s brand positioning and growth opportunity. We also leveraged Nielsen data to build an MSA-level market sizing model to establish a $2B addressable market size. To support national expansion, Gotham established second plant economics and profiled the competitive landscape to identify acquisition candidates. Our operational assessment did not reveal any significant commodity pricing margin risks and, in fact, identified material yeild and labor savings opportunities. These fact-based conclusions gave the client the conviction needed to submit an aggressive bid to win this hotly contested auction.
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Customer & Market And Operational Due Diligence Of Leading Processor Of Freeze-Dried Fruits: Rapid Assessment Of Technology, Competitive, Customer Concentration, And Operational Risks
Provided clarity on risks (technology, competitive, customer concentration, and operational), and growth opportunities ahead of bid. Through interviews with 30+ competitors (domestic and import), distributors, equipment suppliers, academic experts, and customers, and extensive secondary research, Gotham established: the applications and advantages/disadvantages of freeze-drying technology; the target’s positioning vs. domestic and international freeze-drying processors in South America, China and Europe; and the stability/growth of its top customers. Gotham’s analysis revealed while the market was growing and the target was well-positioned and poised for growth, it could potentially face increased competitive intensity and margin pressure. Our client accounted for all these risks and tempered growth projections in its model.
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