Clayton Dubilier & Rice prepares £5bn Motor Fuel Group sale

The private equity owner of Britain’s biggest independent petrol forecourts operator, Motor Fuel Group, has selected four banks to oversee a $6.76bn sale.

Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), is lining up Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Royal Bank of Canada to sell MFG, according to Sky News.

The petrol forecourts operator, which trades from about 900 sites across the UK, has been looking to position itself at the heart of the drive to electrify Britain’s automotive industry.

MFG said it plans to spend £50m in 2022 on installing 350 rapid vehicle chargers across its network, with the company expanding rapidly since it was first acquired by CD&R in 2015 from Patron Capital Partners in a deal worth about £500 million.

In 2018, CD&R paid £1.2bn to add MRH, the market leader, creating a group operating under fuel brands such as BP and Shell with profits reportedly rising 10-fold since the original acquisition.

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MFG has invested heavily in its retail offering, with brands such as Costa Coffee, Greggs and Subway now at many of its sites.

This puts it in direct competition with supermarket-owned fuel chains, as well as EG Group, which is owned by the billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa in conjunction with TDR Capital.

MFG’s green push could attract a variety of investors, including infrastructure and oil companies looking to capitalise on the global energy transition.

However, a public listing of MFG is also being considered.

A successful sale would be a boon for CD&R, which last year acquired UK supermarket chain Morrisons in a deal worth £10m including debt.

Source: The National News

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