Delicious Deal

Challenge

Aiming to grow and diversify its product offerings, U.S.-based Amplify Snack Brands looked to team up with Tyrrells, a UK-headquartered international manufacturer and marketer of premium kettle-cooked potato crisps, vegetable crisps, premium popcorn and tortilla chips. To be executed successfully, this cross-border acquisition would require legal counsel across a number of areas.

Our approach

Amplify Snack Brands is a high growth snack food company focused on developing and marketing products that appeal to consumers’ growing preference for Better-For-You snacks, which includes Amplify’s anchor brand, SkinnyPop popcorn. Tyrrells was founded in 2002 and is a UK-headquartered international manufacturer and marketer of premium kettle-cooked potato crisps, vegetable crisps, upmarket “poshcorn” popcorn and tortilla chips.

After acquiring the Paqui brand of Better-For-You tortilla chips in April 2015 and the Oatmega brand of grass-fed whey protein bars and Better-For-You cookie products in April 2016, Amplify sought to further diversify its Better-For-You offerings by acquiring Tyrrells. The Tyrrells international portfolio of premium brands includes the iconic and market-leading Tyrrells brand potato crisps, vegetable crisps and poshcorn, the Thomas Chipman and Wholesome Food Company snack brands in Australia and the Lisa’s Chips snack brand in Germany.

Recognizing the challenges posed with this multinational deal, Goodwin quickly assembled an experienced team in its U.S. and European offices. The group coordinated across multiple time zones and included experts on U.S. and UK mergers and acquisitions, securities laws, tax matters, corporate governance matters, risk management and insurance matters, real estate, executive compensation and other transactional practice areas.

Outcome

The newly expanded Amplify now benefits from the presence of an international sales team with strong customer relationships in over 40 countries, while Tyrrells’ brands can leverage Amplify’s outstanding US-focused capabilities. By leveraging Amplify’s and Tyrrells’ market leading brands to broaden customer reach and increase international operating scale and presence, the company is one step closer to becoming one of the leading Better-For-You snack food companies in the world.