M&A advisory for consumer products companies
Consumer brand M&A has cooled dramatically from its 2021 peak, and the survivors are the brands that can show profitability, contribution margin discipline and a clear path to channel diversification. Buyers no longer pay for GMV - they pay for contribution profit per cohort, repeat order math, and brand equity that survives a paid-social shutdown test.
Three buyer types compete for brand assets, and each runs a completely different process. Strategic CPG (Unilever, Nestle, P&G, L'Oreal, Henkel, Coty) acquires for category fill and global distribution leverage; large retailers buy private-label or accelerator-grade brands at cash-flow multiples; brand-focused PE roll-ups (L Catterton, TSG, CVC Growth, plus the Amazon aggregator survivors) underwrite on platform fit and operational synergy. The same business is worth materially different numbers depending on which one the process is built for.
Flow advises consumer founders across food, fashion, beauty, wellness and lifestyle - and runs sell-side processes that match the brand to the buyer pool actually willing to pay for it in this cycle.
M&A goes smoother with an advisor that understands consumer products
Pick the right buyer lane
Strategic CPG, retailer private label and PE roll-up each value the same brand differently and run different processes. We figure out which lane the business is built for - based on category, scale, margin profile and channel mix - and build the equity story around that buyer's diligence framework rather than running a generic process to all three.
Contribution profit, not GMV
Buyers in 2026 underwrite contribution profit per cohort, payback period and channel-level CAC - GMV is barely a header line. We rebuild the P&L the way the buyer's deal team will, including blended CAC across paid, organic, retail and wholesale, so the gross profit story stays intact through diligence.
Channel diversification, evidenced
A brand that's 90% DTC and 90% Meta-acquired gets a discount; one with a credible retail, wholesale or marketplace ramp gets a premium. We position the channel-mix evolution against real shelf wins, retailer contracts and marketplace data - not vague pipeline talk that falls over in commercial diligence.
Inventory and earn-out mechanics
Consumer SPAs live and die on inventory adjustments, NWC pegs and earn-outs tied to brand performance. We structure the deal mechanics so seasonal inventory swings don't reprice the deal at close, and so earn-out gates reflect what management can deliver after the acquirer takes over media spend control.
Recent M&A deals we closed
We've closed sell-side and buy-side transactions across European, US and emerging-market tech.
Our M&A track record spans strategic exits to corporate acquirers, PE buyouts, and cross-border deals where regulatory and structuring complexity actually matters.
We acted as exclusive sell-side advisor to MAILINGWORK, a Chemnitz-based email marketing software platform, on its sale to French digital marketing leader Positive Group.
Recent M&A advisory consumer products track record
Selected M&A transactions and prior deal experience.
M&A advisory for all consumer products niches
From alcohol to baby care, we're a specialized M&A advisor to consumer products companies.
Our M&A experience spans across all consumer products verticals.
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We know tech inside & out.
We live and breath tech - true understanding of how startups operate is fundamental at what we do.
Recent consumer products insights
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