Motorway services giant Roadchef could be about to change hands for up to £1bn.

City sources said its owner – a French infrastructure and private equity firm called Antin – has appointed advisers from Australian investment bank Macquarie to find a buyer for the business.

The company was originally set up in the early 1970s by Lindley Catering Investments and Galleon World Travel.

Free Webinar: The Future State of M&A: Gaining the Competitive Edge with Digitalization

  • Common barriers GPs face during the M&A process
  • How AI and machine learning can optimise the M&A process
  • The outlook for M&A in 2022

Roadchef then grew through a series of takeover deals, including the acquisition of Take A Break and Blue Boar, the fourth largest operator of service stations in Britain.

Antin bought Roadchef – where motorists can refuel, use the toilets and buy food from brands ranging from McDonald’s to Leon and Krispy Kreme – for £153million in 2014.

The business has grown substantially since then, with the company forecast to generate operating profits of around £50million in 2022.

The sale of Roadchef comes shortly after Antin floated on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, with the company raising around €550 million from the listing.

The company runs four funds that invest in infrastructure in Europe and North America, with a focus on energy, the environment, telecommunications and transportation.

Source: Today UK News

Can’t stop reading? Read more