Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) Acquires Chef Middle East

The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHEF), a premier distributor of specialty food products in North America, is excited to announce that it has acquired Chef Middle East (CME), a specialty food distributor with operations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, from Gulf Capital, a leading alternative asset management firm in the Gulf and Southeast Asia.

“This is exciting news for The Chefs’ Warehouse, our partners, employees and our new colleagues at Chef Middle East. Similar to our positioning in the US and Canada, CME is the premier provider of specialty food products to the higher-end restaurants, hotels and catering establishments in the region. Their product portfolio mirrors ours in many ways and includes high-quality imported specialty foods, meat and seafood, pastry and bakery goods along with broadline product lines. We thank Gulf Capital for entrusting us to continue the growth of CME into a leading foodservice player.” – The Chefs’ Warehouse Chairman & CEO, Christopher Pappas.

The region’s high-end income demographic, coupled with Dubai’s role as a regional tourism and commercial hub, lends itself to the type of customer and service model that The Chefs’ Warehouse (CW) has thrived on for more than 35 years. In addition, many of the CW customers have opened locations in the region and new openings continue to contribute to the growth in the industry. “We are grateful for the support from both PwC and deNovo in getting this transaction over the finish line.”- The Chefs’ Warehouse VP of M&A, Nick Ktorides.

Chef Middle East is led by a strong, seasoned management team with multiple years of experience in the global food distribution space. As per Steve Pyle, Chef Middle East CEO, “We couldn’t hope for a better home for our valued employees, customers and supply partners that have supported us over so many years. The Chefs’ Warehouse focus on quality and service will preserve the essence of what makes CME an exceptional company, while leveraging technology, infrastructure, and relationships to add more value to our customers and ensure our continued growth.”

As per Chris Pappas, “Combined with the significant organic and acquired growth ahead of us in the US and Canada, the acquisition of Chef Middle East gives us an additional platform from which we can leverage our business expertise. We welcome CME to The Chefs’ Warehouse and look forward to growing together.”

The acquisition of CME is expected to generate between $160 and $180 million in annual net sales and $11- $14 million in EBITDA.

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