Donald Russell Limited has been acquired by Vestey Foods Group

February 2012 — Donald Russell Limited, the specialist Scottish butcher and mail order meat supplier, renowned for its fine quality butchery and gourmet food, has been sold to Vestey Foods Group (Vestey). The price and terms of this transaction have not been disclosed.

Founded in 1974 and based in Scotland, Donald Russell is a specialist butcher with an unrivaled reputation for the quality of its beef and steaks, which has grown to become the UK's leading mail order butcher. It also holds the Royal Warrant, delivering regularly to the Royal Household. Hans Baumann of Donald Russell commented: "This is a great outcome for both the shareholders and the ongoing management team. The closer we have got to Vestey the more we have seen how they share the same values as Donald Russell, which bodes well for the future. It was very impressive to see how Cavendish handled the auction process and used their international network to talk directly with purchasers around the world."

Vestey is a family owned group, comprising thirteen food companies across 70 countries. It specializes in the import, storage and distribution of a wide variety of meat, poultry, fish and other foodstuffs from global suppliers into the various local market places in which it operates.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins Cavendish, based in the UK, advised the shareholders of Donald Russell on the successful exit of the company. The team ran a competitive sale process using Oaklins' extensive international network to identify a wide range of purchasers. The buyer groups included: meat businesses, general food groups, food distributors and wholesalers, grocery multiples and retailers, mail order businesses and private equity. Oaklins' team in Germany introduced Vestey and facilitated negotiations throughout the transaction process.