Houlihan Lokey Advises Ferrer Alimentación

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Ferrer Alimentación, S.A. and Medir Ferrer y Compañía, S.A. (together, Ferrer Alimentación), a subsidiary of Grupo Ferrer Internacional, S.A. (Grupo Ferrer), has agreed to be acquired by IMCD N.V. (IMCD). The transaction was signed on 4 June 2025, with closing subject to customary regulatory conditions.

Founded in 1955, Ferrer Alimentación is a leading Spanish distributor of food and beverage ingredients. The company serves a broad customer base across a variety of consumer-facing end markets, including bakery, dairy, beverages, meat, and specialised nutrition. Ferrer Alimentación has decades-long relationships with leading global suppliers, distributing ingredients from its strategically located logistics centre, based near Barcelona. Ferrer Alimentación was founded as a subsidiary by the broader pharmaceutical-focused Grupo Ferrer. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, the company employs c. 37 people.

Founded in the mid-20th century, Grupo Ferrer is an international B-Corp pharmaceutical company with an increasing focus on rare neurological diseases, pulmonary vascular diseases, and interstitial lung diseases. Grupo Ferrer covers all stages of the drug and pharmaceutical product value chain, from research and development to distribution and marketing, including purchasing and procurement. The company operates globally in more than 125 countries, with a team of c. 1,800 employees, and is headquartered in Barcelona.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, IMCD is a publicly traded global leader in the distribution and formulation of speciality chemicals and ingredients. Operating from eight distinct business groups, IMCD holds a strong position in the global food and nutrition distribution market. IMCD has a market capitalisation of c. €7.0 billion and operates in c. 60 countries globally with a team of more than 5,100 employees.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to the shareholders of Ferrer Alimentación throughout the transaction. This transaction showcases Houlihan Lokey’s ability to leverage cross-office and cross-industry group collaboration, with support from Houlihan Lokey’s leading franchise in Spain and collaboration between the speciality ingredients and speciality chemicals distribution teams. This transaction strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s leadership in the speciality ingredients sector, following notable transactions, including HealthTech Bio Actives, Ellison Bakery, Bluegrass Ingredients, Salpa, Hi-Food, and Revela Foods. This transaction also reinforces Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading track record of advising Spanish middle-market consumer companies, and further demonstrates Houlihan Lokey’s leadership position in speciality chemicals distribution transactions, following notable transactions, including Azelis and Safic-Alcan.

RELATED: Food & Beverage, Specialty Distribution, Mergers & Acquisitions