Cork cash and carry wholesaler M&P O’Sullivan has moved quickly to acquire the assets of Brennan’s Caterworld out of liquidation.
The Brennan's Caterworld operating company Laraglen Ltd called in liquidator Gerard Murphy on June 5.
The deal for the business names and assets merges the trade of two of Cork’s oldest companies. M&P’s wholesale portfolio includes Homestead, White Hat and Red Abbey. M&P also operates the Gala retail and Your Stop franchises with 30 franchisees and c.1,500 customers who order weekly across their frozen, fresh, ambient, alcohol, packaging and minerals ranges.
The company says it plans to expand the retail space of its Sarsfield Road warehouse in Cork by c.3,000 square foot to accommodate the Brennan’s Caterworld product range.
Director Eoin O’Sullivan commented: “Brennan’s Caterworld is an excellent strategic fit for M&P and will strengthen our existing wholesale business. We previously distributed a small line of their catering supply products, which proved to be very popular with our customers, so we are delighted to now be in a position to extend our offering to the full range through the acquisition.
In Association with
“We are cautiously optimistic about the hospitality industry and are focused in particular on the quick serve and takeaway restaurant business, which is experiencing significant growth since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Brennan’s Caterworld is Ireland’s longest running catering equipment and supplies business, founded in 1872, with an annual turnover of €3 million.
M&P O’Sullivan is a fourth generation family business, founded in 1905. The company is operated by cousins Eoin O’Sullivan, Sales Director, and Patrick O’Sullivan, Purchasing Director. M&P currently employs 60 people and in recent years has invested in new temperature-controlled warehousing and a fleet of temperature-controlled delivery vehicles.
Ardmac Buys Cental Stake
In a separate deal, construction specialist Ardmac has effected ‘a significant equity investment’ in Cental, a provider of advanced modular infrastructure to the data centre, utilities and telecoms industries.
Cental was established in Carlow five years ago and Ardmac says it has annual turnover of c. €20m.
Ardmac CEO Ronan Quinn said the combined expertise and resources will enhance Ardmac’s capabilities as a leading provider of offsite modular solutions to its clients in the Data Centre, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Advanced Manufacturing sectors, whilst opening up new solutions for Commercial Fit-out clients.
“This investment in Cental provides Ardmac with a reputable specialist partner, additional manufacturing capacity and a further foothold in the market for offsite modular construction," Quinn added.
“In Cental we now have that crucial manufacturing fabrication infrastructure that provides the expertise and capacity required to deliver complex high value projects offsite and then deliver them to our customer locations. We are very excited to leverage the synergies in place between our two companies.”
Cental chief executive Brian McGuire stated: “Our combined engineering and management teams will further enhance our already ambitious growth strategy. We look forward to doubling our 70 strong engineering team to deliver this growth, into new and existing vertical and geographical markets.”
Ardmac recently announced an agreement with US firm Germfree Laboratories to provide prefabricated turnkey modular cleanrooms and biosafety laboratories to the biopharma and healthcare sectors throughout Europe.
Ardmac’s legal advisors on the deal were Holmes O’Malley Sexton, with Focus Tax Partners providing tax counsel.
Photo: MPOS directors Eoin O’Sullivan and Patrick O’Sullivan. (Pix: Clare Keogh)
