Mexican Coca-Cola bottler Femsa is in talks to sell a US packaging and food services business to private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Kelso & Co. for about $5 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Kelso would do the deal through portfolio company BradyIFS, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.
Femsa shares led gains on the Mexbol index on Wednesday following Bloomberg’s report. The stock rose as much as 3.5% in trading in Mexico City in their biggest intraday gain since the end of May, on pace for a record high.
Representatives for Femsa, Warburg Pincus and Kelso declined to comment.
Monterrey, Mexico-based Femsa announced a strategic review in February for some non-core units, including its stake in Dutch brewer Heineken NV as well as Envoy Solutions, according to a statement.
Envoy Solutions, based in Glenview, Illinois, provides a range of packaging and food services, from corrugated boxes to facilities cleaning, according to its website.
Read more: Mexico Coke Bottler Femsa Sells €3.3 Billion Heineken Stake (2)
Femsa, which distributes and bottles beverages and operates convenience stores, acquired 20% of Heineken in 2010 before trimming its holding. It acquired Switzerland’s Valora, which operates about 2,700 cafes and convenience stores, for as much as $1.2 billion last year to expand in Europe. Femsa is shorthand for Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB.
--With assistance from Michelle F. Davis and Andrea Navarro.
(Updates third paragraph with share move, adds deck heads)
