B&B Investment Partners – the manager of a specialised investment fund focused on consumer brands within the health and wellness, personal care, beauty and consumer healthcare sectors – has announced the acquisition of UK sports nutrition company PhD Nutrition.
PhD is a leading and well recognised brand in the fast-growing sports nutrition market. The UK-based company was co-founded by Jason Rickaby and Mark Bowering in 2005 and has grown to become one of the country’s largest independent brands in sports nutrition.
Following the acquisition, Jason Rickaby will remain as Managing Director of PhD and will also have specific responsibility for overall brand strategy and new product development.
The PhD range of nutritional products is designed for all types of fitness enthusiasts and includes protein powders, nutrition bars and well-being supplements. More recently, the company has expanded by introducing PhD Woman, a selection of products tailored towards the active female market.
PhD has a broad, multi-channel distribution base which, in addition to its online, wholesale and specialty retailers, includes major retail customers. It also currently exports to approximately 20 countries.
The acquisition of PhD also demonstrates B&B Investment Partners’ strategic intention to ‘create a pan-European sports nutrition group which uniquely addresses the key consumer needs and channel opportunities.’
B&B Investment Partners has appointed Sebastian Mullin to oversee the development of this vehicle. Sebastian Mullin is a sports nutrition industry expert having held previous roles as CEO of Scitec Nutrition and Managing Director of Glanbia’s Performance Nutrition business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Jason Rickaby, Co-founder and Managing Director of PhD Nutrition Limited, said “I am delighted to be working alongside B&B Investment Partners who clearly understand the brand, our market and the opportunities for PhD as a category leader and innovator. Together, I am convinced we will be able to achieve our goal of establishing PhD as the preferred sports nutrition brand in Europe catering to the active lifestyle consumer and gym-goer.”
Sebastian Mullin, added “The international sports nutrition market is growing at an exceptional rate and our intention is to create a unique group by bringing together complementary brands that offer distinctive channel and consumer opportunities. This group will then provide support to accelerate growth whilst allowing businesses to preserve their entrepreneurial passion.
“PhD is part of this opportunity and, with Jason, we look forward to working with the PhD team to build on one of the great success stories in sports nutrition”
Chris Britton and Jean-Philippe Barade, the Principals of B&B Investment Partners, added, “B&B Investment Partners was created to help companies such as PhD to achieve their potential. The PhD team has built an impressive and reputable brand and we are delighted that Jason will continue to lead the company. We look forward to working closely with him and his team on PhD as well as with Seb in the formation of a unique sports nutrition group.”
B&B Investment Partners was established via a partnership between Swiss pharma giant Alliance Boots and investors Chris Britton and Jean-Philippe Barade. Alliance Boots is a leading international pharmacy-led health and beauty group delivering a range of products and services to customers. The group has a presence in more than 25 countries and employs over 108,000 people.
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www.phd-supplements.com
