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BURGER KING® FRANCHISEE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY CARROLS

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION:

Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (“Carrols”) (Nasdaq: TAST) has acquired six BURGER KING® restaurants from a Western Kentucky franchisee (the “Seller”).

The Seller has owned and operated six BURGER KING® restaurants located throughout Kentucky and Indiana. Collectively, the restaurants employ nearly 180 people and serve an established customer base across their respective markets.

Over the last 30 years, the Seller has developed a successful restaurant operation and built an experienced workforce. Additionally, the business has established loyal customer relationships that support consistent operations across its six locations.

STRATEGIC RATIONALE FOR CARROLS:

Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, Carrols is the largest BURGER KING® franchisee in the United States. The company operates more than 700 restaurants across 16 states and has operated BURGER KING® restaurants since 1976.

Carrols has maintained an active acquisition strategy focused on expanding its restaurant portfolio. The company has pursued franchise acquisitions that complement its geographic footprint and established operating infrastructure. Notably, Carrols has acquired the franchisor’s right of first refusal across 20 states, including Kentucky and Indiana. This position has made Carrols a particularly relevant strategic buyer for the Seller’s restaurant portfolio.

The acquisition has expanded Carrols’ presence within Kentucky and Indiana. Moreover, the transaction provides opportunities to integrate the restaurants into Carrols’ established operating platform. Carrols also expects the acquired restaurants to benefit from its purchasing power, management infrastructure, and operating experience. These capabilities support the buyer’s objectives of capturing operational synergies and improving restaurant profitability.

ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP’S ROLE:

Allston Advisory Group served as the exclusive financial advisor to the Seller. The firm performed an Analysis of Value for the restaurant portfolio and prepared a comprehensive Confidential Information Memorandum. Furthermore, Allston evaluated the market and identified prospective strategic and financial buyers for the restaurant holdings. Given Carrols’ acquisition strategy, Allston identified the company as a compelling strategic buyer for the portfolio.

Thereafter, Allston approached Carrols and managed the confidential sale process on behalf of the Seller. The firm coordinated communications, facilitated negotiations, and assisted the parties throughout due diligence. Ultimately, the transaction has accomplished the Seller’s objective of obtaining liquidity from his BURGER KING® restaurant holdings. Equally important, employees have transitioned to an established and well-capitalized restaurant operator.

As a result, the acquisition has supported Carrols’ continued geographic expansion and provides additional opportunities to capture operating efficiencies. The transaction represents a strategic combination that addresses the objectives of both buyer and seller.

ABOUT ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP:

Allston Advisory Group is an independent mergers and acquisitions advisory firm serving lower middle market businesses throughout the United States. The firm provides sell-side advisory, business valuations, and exit planning services across diverse industries. Allston combines transaction expertise with personalized client service to help business owners maximize value and achieve successful outcomes.

For additional information on this transaction, please contact one of our advisors.

NEWS SOURCES:

From Letter of Intent to the Definitive Purchase Agreement

After completing confirmatory due diligence, the parties move toward finalizing the purchase agreement. This definitive agreement governs the transaction and establishes each party’s binding obligations. The Letter of Intent provides the framework for these negotiations. It generally outlines purchase price, structure, consideration, working capital, and other principal business terms. The purchase agreement goes considerably further. It converts negotiated terms into detailed contractual provisions and addresses risks identified during due diligence.

Although transaction attorneys draft and negotiate the agreement, many provisions involve significant business decisions. Sellers should therefore understand the economic consequences behind the legal language. A typical purchase agreement addresses three broad areas:

  • Transaction Economics: Purchase price, consideration, payment timing, earnouts, seller notes, rollover equity, and post-closing adjustments.
  • Closing Mechanics: Closing conditions, required consents, covenants, financing requirements, schedules, and procedures for completing the transaction.
  • Risk Allocation: Representations, warranties, indemnification, escrows, holdbacks, baskets, caps, survival periods, and dispute procedures.

The agreement also defines exactly what the buyer acquires. In an asset sale, it identifies purchased assets and assumed liabilities. By comparison, an equity transaction transfers ownership interests in the legal entity. The agreement must still address excluded obligations and other negotiated protections.

Working capital frequently receives significant attention during negotiations. The agreement establishes the target, calculation methodology, and process for resolving post-closing differences. Representations and warranties serve another purpose. They provide factual statements about the company, its operations, financial condition, contracts, employees, taxes, and other matters. Disclosure schedules then qualify those representations by identifying exceptions. Accurate schedules help sellers disclose known issues and reduce potential post-closing disputes.

Once negotiations reach this stage, the transaction attorney takes the lead on legal documentation. However, the attorney should not work independently from the broader M&A team. The M&A advisor helps ensure the agreement accurately reflects the business terms negotiated in the LOI. The advisor also evaluates proposed changes affecting purchase price, consideration, working capital, and other economics. Meanwhile, the seller’s CPA and tax advisor evaluate accounting and tax provisions. Their input may become particularly valuable when addressing allocations, working capital, and transaction structure.

New issues may still emerge before closing. When they do, the advisory team should evaluate their legal, financial, and economic consequences together. A well-negotiated purchase agreement does more than document the sale. It preserves negotiated economics, allocates transaction risk, and establishes clear obligations through closing and beyond.

Creating Buyer Competition in a Business Sale

A business owner negotiating with one buyer has limited information about what the broader marketplace may offer. The buyer knows this as well. A competitive buyer process changes that dynamic by creating alternatives for the seller. Multiple qualified buyers strengthen negotiating leverage and provide meaningful comparisons among offers. However, generating a long buyer list does not create competition by itself. The M&A advisor must identify buyers with the interest, resources, and strategic rationale to complete the transaction.

Build the Right Buyer Universe

The process begins by understanding the company and identifying potential sources of buyer demand. Strategic buyers may seek new customers, geographic markets, products, employees, technology, or operating capabilities. Private equity firms evaluate opportunities based on their investment criteria, portfolio strategies, expected returns, and available capital. Well-funded individual buyers and family offices may also represent credible candidates for certain companies.

At the buyer-development stage, the advisor should look beyond obvious industry participants. Buyers from adjacent markets may identify opportunities that direct competitors overlook.

Qualify Buyers Before Sharing Information

More buyers do not necessarily create a better process. Qualified buyers do. An experienced M&A advisor should evaluate financial capacity, acquisition criteria, transaction experience, strategic rationale, and decision-making authority. This qualification helps separate serious prospects from tire kickers.

After establishing credibility, qualified buyers receive the Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) following execution of a confidentiality agreement. The CIM should present the company’s financial performance, operations, competitive position, and growth opportunities clearly.

Create Competition Through Process

Competition requires more than contacting buyers. The advisor must manage those buyers through a coordinated process. Deadlines for indications of interest encourage buyers to make decisions within a defined timeframe. Comparable offers also allow the seller to evaluate price, structure, certainty, and post-closing terms.

As buyer interest develops, the advisor negotiates from a position supported by credible alternatives. One buyer may offer the highest price. Another may provide more cash, fewer contingencies, or better terms for the seller.

Preserve Competition Until the LOI

The seller’s leverage generally reaches a critical point before granting exclusivity to one buyer. An experienced M&A advisor should use the competitive buyer process to resolve significant economic terms before that occurs. The objective is not simply to generate multiple buyers. It is to create a marketplace where qualified buyers compete for the opportunity.

Competition gives the seller alternatives, and alternatives create negotiating leverage.

Setting the Deal Framework in the Letter of Intent

A Letter of Intent marks a significant transition in the sale of a business. It moves the parties from preliminary discussions toward a defined transaction. The LOI should establish the principal business terms before the parties commit substantial resources to completing the deal. Most provisions remain nonbinding. However, certain provisions, including confidentiality and exclusivity, may create binding obligations.

Define the Transaction Economics

The purchase price represents only one component of an offer. Sellers should understand how and when they will receive the consideration. Accordingly, LOI deal terms should address purchase price, transaction structure, and the form of consideration. The LOI may also address seller financing, earnouts, rollover equity, escrows, and other holdbacks.

Working capital deserves particular attention. The parties should establish the methodology for determining the working capital target and any resulting adjustment. At this point in the negotiations, the parties should also identify whether the transaction involves an asset or equity purchase.

Address the Seller’s Continuing Involvement

Many transactions require the seller to remain involved after closing. The LOI should address significant expectations concerning employment, consulting, transition assistance, or continuing ownership. Compensation and responsibilities may also require discussion when the seller remains employed. Similarly, the parties should identify material noncompetition or non-solicitation expectations before proceeding.

Establish the Path to Closing

The LOI should provide a framework for moving from agreement to closing. This framework may address due diligence, financing, regulatory approvals, closing conditions, and the anticipated closing date. Before the process narrows, the seller should also understand the exclusivity period. During exclusivity, the seller generally stops discussions with competing buyers. The buyer then conducts confirmatory due diligence and negotiates the definitive purchase agreement.

Resolve Major Issues Early

The LOI cannot anticipate every provision contained in the final purchase agreement. Trying to negotiate every legal detail at this stage would also defeat its purpose. However, leaving significant economic issues unresolved may create problems later.

An experienced M&A advisor should negotiate the LOI deal terms with the entire transaction in mind. The advisor can identify economic issues that deserve resolution before exclusivity begins. Legal counsel should review the LOI before execution and address its binding and nonbinding provisions. A well-structured LOI does more than summarize an offer. It establishes the economic framework and provides a clear path toward the definitive purchase agreement.

How Capital Expenditures Shape Business Value

EBITDA provides a common starting point for valuing privately held businesses. Yet two companies with identical EBITDA may command very different valuations. One reason involves the capital required to generate and sustain those earnings. Understanding capital expenditures and business value requires looking beyond reported EBITDA. Buyers want to know how much cash the business must reinvest after generating its operating earnings.

Looking Beyond EBITDA

EBITDA excludes depreciation and amortization, which represent noncash expenses. However, the assets underlying depreciation eventually require replacement or continued investment.

A company generating $2 million of EBITDA may require substantial annual capital expenditures. Another company producing identical EBITDA may require very little reinvestment. The second business may therefore generate significantly more cash for its owners. That difference may influence buyer interest and valuation.

Understanding Different Types of CAPEX

Buyers generally examine capital expenditures within several categories:

  • Deferred CAPEX: Investment needed to replace outdated or poorly maintained assets.
  • Maintenance CAPEX: Recurring investment required to sustain existing operations and earnings.
  • Growth CAPEX: Investment intended to expand capacity, revenue, or future earnings.

Viewed separately, each category provides buyers with different insights into the company’s capital requirements.

Deferred CAPEX may create an immediate economic burden after closing. A buyer may incorporate those required expenditures into its valuation or negotiations.

Maintenance CAPEX affects the recurring cash flow available from existing operations. Capital-intensive companies may require significant reinvestment simply to maintain current earnings.

Growth CAPEX requires different treatment. These expenditures support expansion rather than existing operations and may generate additional future earnings.

How CAPEX May Affect Valuation

Businesses with limited recurring capital requirements may convert more EBITDA into cash flow. Asset-light service companies often demonstrate this characteristic. By contrast, manufacturers, transportation companies, and other asset-intensive businesses may require substantial ongoing investment.

For these companies, buyers may analyze EBITDA less maintenance CAPEX alongside other cash flow measures. They may also examine historical spending, asset age, replacement schedules, and future capital requirements.

Preparing Before a Sale

Sellers should understand capital expenditures and business value before entering the market. Historical financial statements alone may not explain the company’s actual reinvestment requirements.

A well-prepared seller can distinguish maintenance spending from growth investments and explain unusual capital expenditures. An M&A advisor will incorporate this analysis into the company’s broader value story. Clear CAPEX analysis helps buyers understand how efficiently the business converts earnings into sustainable cash flow.

What Buyers Are Testing During Due Diligence

A buyer does not conduct due diligence simply to collect documents. The process tests the assumptions supporting the proposed transaction. Before signing the Letter of Intent, the buyer develops expectations about the company’s earnings, operations, risks, and future opportunities. The buyer due diligence review determines whether the available evidence supports those expectations.

Validate the Financial Performance

Financial diligence examines the quality and sustainability of the company’s historical earnings. Buyers typically review financial statements, tax returns, monthly results, working capital, debt, and capital expenditures. They may also examine customer profitability, margins, revenue recognition, and the normalizing adjustments.

As financial scrutiny increases, buyers compare information from different sources for consistency. Material discrepancies may affect normalized EBITDA, purchase price, working capital, or other transaction terms. A Quality of Earnings analysis may provide additional financial diligence, depending on the transaction.

Understand the Business Behind the Numbers

Financial performance represents only part of the buyer’s analysis. Commercial and operational diligence examines how the company generates revenue and whether that performance appears sustainable. Buyers may evaluate customers, suppliers, employees, management, competition, backlog, technology, facilities, and operating systems.

They may also test assumptions concerning growth opportunities and potential synergies. Through this examination, the buyer develops a clearer understanding of the risks and opportunities underlying future performance.

Identify Legal and Transaction Risks

Legal diligence examines the company’s contractual relationships, ownership, compliance, and potential liabilities. Transaction counsel may review customer agreements, leases, employment matters, intellectual property, litigation, licenses, and corporate records.

The findings may influence transaction structure, representations, warranties, indemnification provisions, and closing conditions. Tax, environmental, insurance, information technology, and other specialized reviews may also become necessary.

Investigate the Exceptions

A comprehensive checklist provides structure, but effective diligence requires more than completing a standard document request. Buyers should investigate unusual trends, inconsistencies, and potential risks specific to the company. When an issue surfaces, the buyer must determine whether it changes the original investment thesis. Some findings require explanation. Others may lead to additional diligence, revised terms, or a decision not to proceed.

Prepare for Buyer Scrutiny

An experienced M&A advisor should anticipate the buyer due diligence review before taking a company to market. The advisor can help organize information, identify likely questions, and coordinate responses among the seller’s transaction team.

Preparation cannot eliminate legitimate business risks. However, it can prevent avoidable surprises from undermining buyer confidence after the LOI. Due diligence should confirm the transaction the parties negotiated. When it reveals a materially different business, the transaction may need to change.

UP-RITE SYSTEMS, INC. HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY FLETCHLINE, INC.

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION:

Up-Rite Systems, Inc. (“Up-Rite” or the “Company”) has been acquired by Fletchline Inc. (“Fletchline” or the “Buyer”).

Established in 1993 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, Up-Rite is a nationwide material handling installation company. The Company specializes in the installation of pallet rack and related material handling equipment.

For more than two decades, Up-Rite has developed extensive experience serving customers throughout the United States. The Company has built its reputation by providing specialized installation services across a broad range of projects. Up-Rite’s nationwide capabilities have allowed the Company to support customers with material handling requirements across multiple geographic markets. Furthermore, its specialized workforce brings valuable experience to these complex installation projects.

STRATEGIC FIT WITH FLETCHLINE: 

Headquartered in Springfield, Tennessee, Fletchline specializes in conveyor system installation throughout the United States. The company has served customers across projects of varying sizes and complexity since 1988. Fletchline provides installation services for multiple conveyor systems used within distribution, manufacturing, and other material handling environments. Additionally, the company emphasizes workplace safety, quality, teamwork, and efficient project execution.

The acquisition brings together two companies with complementary capabilities within the material handling industry. Up-Rite specializes in rack installation, while Fletchline brings extensive experience installing conveyor systems. As a result, the combination broadens the range of installation services available to customers. The transaction also strengthens Fletchline’s capabilities within an increasingly integrated material handling marketplace.

Moreover, both companies bring nationwide installation experience and established customer relationships to the combined organization. Their complementary expertise creates opportunities to serve customers across a broader range of material handling projects. The transaction provides Up-Rite with the resources and capabilities of an established strategic buyer. At the same time, Fletchline expands its service capabilities through the addition of Up-Rite’s specialized rack installation expertise.

ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP’S ROLE: 

Allston Advisory Group served as the exclusive financial advisor to Up-Rite Systems and its owners. Allston performed an Analysis of Value and prepared a comprehensive Confidential Information Memorandum. Thereafter, Allston developed and managed a confidential sale process designed to identify qualified prospective buyers. The firm evaluated potential strategic and financial buyers and coordinated communications throughout the process.

Allston also assisted the sellers with negotiations and worked alongside their other professional advisors. During due diligence, Allston coordinated information requests and helped address transaction matters as they arose. The transaction successfully transitioned Up-Rite to an experienced strategic buyer with complementary capabilities. Furthermore, the combination positions both organizations to pursue additional opportunities with the material handling industry.

ABOUT ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP:

Allston Advisory Group is an experienced mergers and acquisitions advisory firm serving privately held lower middle market companies. The firm provides mergers & acquisitions, business valuations, and exit strategies. Allston works closely with business owners to understand their objectives and prepare their companies for the transaction process. The firm then manages a disciplined and confidential sale process from initial preparation through closing.

For additional information on this transaction, please contact one of our advisors.

Turning Business Valuation Into an Exit Readiness Plan

Business owners often want to know what their companies are worth. However, understanding current value represents only part of effective exit planning. The more useful question is what drives that value and what prevents the business from becoming more valuable. Evaluating exit readiness and business value together may provide owners with a clearer path forward. It establishes a financial benchmark while identifying areas that deserve attention before a sale.

Establishing a Starting Point

A preliminary valuation provides an indication of the company’s current value based on its financial performance and other relevant factors. More broadly, the analysis may identify characteristics that positively or negatively influence buyer perceptions. These characteristics often become the company’s principal value drivers. Common value drivers include:

  • Customer Base: Revenue diversification, retention, recurring relationships, and concentration.
  • Profitability and Growth: Historical growth, margins, earnings consistency, and future opportunities.
  • Competitive Position: Differentiation, barriers to entry, market position, and competitive advantages.
  • Management Depth: Leadership capabilities, succession, and dependence on individual owners.
  • Products and Services: Quality, differentiation, demand, and recurring revenue characteristics.
  • Financial Reporting: Reliable statements, accurate reporting, and supportable normalized earnings.
  • Operations: Documented processes, scalable systems, technology, and operating efficiency.
  • Industry Dynamics: Growth prospects, consolidation, regulation, competition, and broader market trends.

Moving From Valuation to Exit Readiness

A valuation identifies what the company may be worth today. Allston Advisory Group’s Exit Readiness Assessment takes the analysis a step further. The assessment evaluates the business from the perspective of a prospective buyer. It identifies strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities that may affect a future transaction.

Building on those findings, the owner may prioritize improvements based on their potential impact and required implementation time. Some issues may require relatively simple changes. Others, such as management development or customer diversification, may require several years.

Creating a More Marketable Business

As progress develops, owners may measure improvements against the original valuation and assessment. This process creates accountability and helps management focus on meaningful value drivers. Owners should periodically revisit exit readiness and business value as the company changes. The assessment should evolve alongside financial performance, management, customers, operations, and market conditions.

Preparing for an exit does not mean committing to a sale. Instead, it creates options. A preliminary valuation establishes where the business stands today. An Exit Readiness Assessment helps determine what the owner should do next.

THE PROSPECT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY KROGER

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION:

The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) has acquired The Prospect Village Shopping Center from Montfort Helm Enterprises, LLC (the “Seller”).

Built in 2000, Prospect Village contains approximately 153,486 square feet of retail space. The Center is located along Highway 42 in Prospect, Kentucky. The property occupies a desirable location within one of the Louisville metropolitan area’s most affluent communities. Additionally, its location provides convenient access to surrounding residential neighborhoods and commercial areas. At the time of the transaction, Prospect Village is approximately 90 percent occupied. The tenant roster includes several national retailers and service businesses. A newly renovated Kroger Marketplace anchors the Center and serves as its primary traffic generator. Other tenants include Starbucks Coffee, Snap Fitness, Subway, Great Clips, and additional retailers.

STRATEGIC FIT WITH KROGER: 

Kroger is one of the world’s largest grocery retailers and operates stores throughout numerous markets across the United States. The company operates grocery stores, multi-department stores, convenience stores, and other retail formats. Kroger already maintains an established operating presence within Prospect Village as the Center’s anchor tenant. Therefore, acquiring the property provides Kroger with greater control over an important retail location.

The acquisition also strengthens Kroger’s real estate position within the Louisville market. Furthermore, Kroger intends to expand the property’s facilities to accommodate fuel sales. Ownership provides Kroger with greater flexibility regarding future improvements and the long=term operation of its Marketplace location. The acquisition also aligns the Center’s ownership with its principal anchor tenant.

ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP’S ROLE: 

Allston Advisory Group served as the exclusive financial advisor to Montfort Helm Enterprises, LLC. The firm performed an extensive valuation assessment of Prospect Village before initiating the sale process. Next, Allston identified prospective strategic and financial buyers capable of acquiring the Center. The firm marketed the property to national, regional, and local investor groups.

Subsequently, Allston conducted a formal auction process designed to create competition among the prospective purchasers. Through this process, the marketplace established a premium valuation for the property. Notably, Kroger held a right of first refusal to the Center. After completion of the competitive process, Kroger exercised that right and acquired the property.

Accordingly, the competitive process provided the Seller with market validation before Kroger exercised its contractual purchase rights. In turn, Kroger secured ownership of the shopping center containing its established Marketplace location. The transaction demonstrates how a competitive sale process may establish market value even when contractual purchase rights affect the final buyer.

ABOUT ALLSTON ADVISORY GROUP:

Allston Advisory Group is an experienced mergers and acquisitions advisory firm serving privately held lower middle market companies. The firm provides mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, and exit strategies. Allston works closely with business owners to understand their objectives and prepare their companies for the transaction process. The firm then manages a disciplined and confidential sale process from initial preparation through closing.

For additional information about this transaction, please contact one of our advisors.

Structuring an Earnout That Works for Buyers and Sellers

Buyers and sellers often agree on the quality of a business but disagree on its value. Different expectations about future performance frequently create that gap. A seller may expect continued growth based on recent performance and identified opportunities. Meanwhile, a buyer may hesitate to pay today for results that have not occurred.

An earnout may help resolve this disagreement. A carefully designed earnout structure makes a portion of the purchase price contingent on future performance. In effect, the seller receives additional consideration if the business achieves mutually-agreed upon performance objectives after closing. The buyer, however, avoids paying the full amount unless those objectives materialize.

This arrangement may help bridge a valuation gap, but it also creates new risks. Once the transaction closes, the seller may no longer control decisions affecting earnout performance. For this reason, buyers and sellers should negotiate the earnout terms as carefully as the purchase price. Several provisions deserve particular attention.

Performance Metrics: The parties should select objective, measurable, and clearly defined performance metrics. Revenue, gross profit, EBITDA, or customer retention may provide appropriate measures.

Measurement Period: The agreement should establish when performance begins and ends. It should also define how frequently the parties calculate results.

Accounting Policies: Both parties should agree on accounting principles and calculation procedures before closing. Clear definitions may reduce disagreements over post-closing results.

Operating Control: Sellers should understand how buyer decisions could affect the earnout. Staffing, pricing, expenses, acquisitions, and resource allocation may influence performance.

Caps and Floors: The parties may establish minimum thresholds or maximum payments. These provisions can define the potential range of contingent consideration.

Payment Security: Depending on the circumstances, sellers may negotiate protections supporting future payments. Escrow arrangements, guarantees, or other security provisions may provide additional protection.

Dispute Procedures: The agreement should establish a process for resolving disagreements over calculations. An independent accountant may provide a practical mechanism for certain financial disputes.

Equally significant, the earnout structure should reflect objectives that the acquired business can reasonably achieve. Unrealistic targets may create conflict rather than bridge the valuation gap. Sellers should also recognize that an earnout differs substantially from cash received at closing. Future payments remain uncertain until the required performance conditions are satisfied.

Buyers face risks as well. Poorly designed earnouts may influence operating decisions, create conflicting incentives, and complicate integration after closing. For these reasons, experienced M&A, legal, accounting, and tax advisors should address earnout provisions before executing definitive agreements. Early coordination may identify potential disputes while the parties still have negotiating flexibility.

No earnout structure can eliminate every risk. However, clearly defined terms may align expectations, reduce uncertainty, and help buyers and sellers bridge differences in value.