The Subway sandwich chain is near a deal to be acquired for more than US$9 billion (RM42 billion) in a transaction that could be announced as soon as today, a person familiar with the matter said.
The winner is expected to be the high bid in an all-cash deal.
A Subway spokesperson said yesterday there would be no comment “until the transaction has been completed,” according to an email to AFP.
Atlanta-based Roark is well-known in the fast-food and prepared foods space, already owning Buffalo Wild Wings, Baskin-Robbins and Seattle’s Best Coffee, as well as other assets including Orange Theory gyms.
Roark “has shown that it knows how to nurture restaurant brands and help them to grow, including through expansion,” said Neil Saunders of GlobalData Retail.
New York-based Sycamore and British firm TDR Capital also have investments in the consumer space.
TDR declined comment. Roark and Sycamore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Subway was launched with a single sandwich shop in Connecticut by Fred DeLuca, who started with an initial US$1,000 investment from family friend Peter Buck, as a way to pay his college tuition.
The two men famously started the venture based only on a handshake. DeLuca died in 2015, while Buck passed away in 2021.
In recent time, Subway executives have highlighted cost-cutting efforts to better compete with other restaurant chains, while focusing most growth efforts overseas.
In June, Subway unveiled a franchising agreement to open some 4,000 restaurants in mainland China over the next 20 years. ― AFP
