Conviviality acquires drinks supplier Bibendum for £60m: Conviviality, the alcohol wholesaler serving consumers through the on-trade and through its franchise retail estate is buying drinks supplier Bibendum PLB in a deal worth £60m. The purchase, which involves a payment of £40m for Bibendum’s equity and gives the business an enterprise value of £60m, will be accompanied by a £32m rights issue. The acquisitive Aim-listed business is intending to conditionally place 15.6 million new shares with institutional investors to raise the £32m. Brokers Zeus and Investec are to be tasked with the placing. Bibendum, which supplies wine, beer and spirits to some 4,000 restaurants, pubs and hotels across the UK, will boost the listed group’s annual turnover by 23% with combined annual sales of more than £1.2bn. Conviviality owns off-licence brands including Bargain Booze and Wine Rack, and first ventured into supplying bars and restaurants last year after its purchase of drinks wholesaler Matthew Clark for £200m. Conviviality reported revenues of £364.1m in the financial year ending April 2015, delivering a pre-tax profit of £9.7m. Bibendum, which is particularly strong in London and the south east, is expected to report revenues of about £270.5m and earnings of close to £7m in the current year. Diana Hunter, chief executive of Conviviality, said the purchase would bring “significant expertise to Conviviality in the off-trade wholesale market”. She added: “Bibendum PLB’s wine speciality, particularly in old world and premium wines, complements our other businesses and helps us to accelerate our leading position in the independent on-trade market. By operating a delivered wholesale model we can serve a diverse range of customers and build our wine and spirit volumes further while simultaneously strengthening our retail channel.” Bibendum was founded in 1982, and merged with PLB in 2014 to form the Bibendum PLB Group. It owns five individual businesses: Bibendum Wine, PLB, Instil Drinks Co, Walker & Wodehouse and The Wondering Wine Company.