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Private investors acquire natural chain Mother's Market

Private investment firm Mill Road Capital has acquired Mother's Market & Kitchen, a California-based natural food chain with seven stores.

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

February 10, 2016

2 Min Read
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Private investment firm Mill Road Capital has acquired Mother's Market & Kitchen, a California-based natural food chain with seven stores.

Mother’s Market, based in Costa Mesa, Calif., said the investment could help the company expand to additional sites.

“Our intention is to preserve all that is wonderful about Mother's and add the kind of expertise and experience that will allow growth and continue the culture that our customers, employees, vendors and communities have embraced for 38 years,” the company’s board said in a statement.

San Francisco-based Mill Road's other investments include Rubio’s Restaurants and Galaxy Nutritional Foods, a leading vegan cheese maker.

According to Jay Jacobowitz, founder and president of Brattleboro, Vt.-based natural products consultant Retail Insights, Mill Road requires investors “lock in” for 10 years, which would allow the firm to take a long view on growth for the chain. Jacobowitz estimated Mother’s did between $300 million and $450 million in annual sales adding the chain is well-regarded for high product standards, foodservice and merchandising, as well as excellent real estate sites in Orange County.

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“I don’t think you’ll see the metastasizing growth like a Chipotle or a Starbucks,” Jacobowitz said. “I think you’ll see something along the lines of a Cheesecake Factory, which chooses its real estate extremely carefully.”

Mother's said its founder, Bruce Macgurn, who died following a brief illness late last year, was instrumental in the process of selecting an investment partner.

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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