M&A deal activity in the food and beverage space is on pace to set a record-high year for transactions. With 381 deals closing over the trailing-12-month (TTM) period, ending September 30, 2021, it also marks the highest historical TTM deal count. Transaction volumes in Q3 2021 were slightly above the previous year, with 97 deals announced, in comparison to 85. The past four quarters have had unseen levels of M&A activity, with all periods surpassing 90 transactions.
We anticipate a busy Q4 ahead, as buyers and sellers push to get deals over the finish line before 2021 comes to a close. With such a crowded marketplace and limited bandwidth on all sides, we believe additional food and beverage deal launches may get held back until January 2022 – setting the stage for another banner year in transaction activity.
