Matrix Capital Markets Group, an independent investment bank, advised Coborn’s on the sale of its 14 Holiday franchised fuel and convenience stores and one developmental site to Holiday Station stores.
St. Cloud, MN-based Coborn’s is a 102-year-old, employee-owned grocery retailer with nearly 10,000 employees and 77 grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois under the banners Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Hornbacher’s, Tadych’s Marketplace Foods and Sullivan’s Foods. Coborn’s entered the convenience store business in 1986 with its Little Dukes branded convenience stores and converted 14 locations to Holiday franchised stores in 2006. Coborn’s operates several fuel, liquor and pharmacy locations as well. To support its 200 various retail business units, Coborn’s also operates its own central bakery, dry cleaning facility and grocery distribution center.
Coborn’s was founded in 1921 by Chester A. Coborn who opened a one-room produce store in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Chris Coborn, a fourth-generation family member, is the current CEO and chairman of the board and his daughter Emily Coborn Wright, vice president of retail support services, and his son Peter Coborn, director of liquor operations, are fifth-generation family members in leaderships roles.
Matrix provided merger and acquisition advisory services to Coborn’s, which included valuation advisory, marketing the business through a confidential, structured sale process and negotiation of the sale. The transaction was managed by Spencer Cavalier, CFA, co-head of Matrix’s downstream energy and convenience retail investment banking group; John Underwood, managing director; Nate Wah, CPA, senior associate; and G. Reilly Erhardt, CPA, analyst.
“We are very pleased with the assistance Matrix provided in divesting our Holiday franchised fuel and convenience stores,” Chris Coborn, CEO of Coborn’s, said. “This is part of Coborn’s overall strategy to focus our growth efforts on the grocery store market. Matrix’s efforts have led to the successful sale of our Holiday franchise stores to our long-term franchisor partner, Holiday. The transaction provides continuity to our store employees and customers, as the stores will remain Holiday branded and continue to accept the Coborn’s MORE Rewards program. Matrix did an excellent job at meeting our strategic objectives in the sale.”
“Chris and his team have done a tremendous job growing the Coborn’s family business. The family legacy is incredibly impressive with what they have achieved over the last century since the company’s founding,” Underwood said. “I am very pleased that Matrix was able to contribute to Coborn’s future growth by selling the Holiday franchised stores to allow for more capital deployment for Coborn’s strategic growth initiatives.”
Robert A. Rosenbaum and Morgan A. Helme of Dorsey & Whitney served as external legal counsel for Coborn’s.
