Gordon Foodservice snaps up Halperns
Broadline foodservice distributor Gordon Food Service has acquired Atlanta, Georgia-based Halperns’ Steak and Seafood Company, the companies announced on Wednesday.
“We’re all really excited — we’re excited about the future; we’re excited about the partnership,” Chad Renegar, in finance and human resources for Halperns’, told Undercurrent News on Wednesday afternoon. “We have a great deal of respect for the company that they’ve built.”
It is yet to be known whether the deal will contribute to CEO Howard Halpern’s aspirations to grow Halperns’, but it is understood among Halperns’ employees that the company’s management team and staff will remain in tact, sources at Halperns’ told Undercurrent.
At a time when uncertainty looms in the US food sales industry over the pending merger of US Foods with Sysco, the deal with a company that claims to be the largest family-operated broadline food service distributor in North America provides hard-sought security for the company.
Gordon, a 115-year-old company, now adds a nine-year-old center-of-the-plate protein company with four production and distribution facilities located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Halperns’ serves 5,000 customers, including independent and national chain customers across much of the East Coast as well as customers in the Midwest.
Gordon services regions yet untapped by Halpern — including the Southwest US and coast-to-coast in Canada.
Gordon operates more than 170 “Gordon Food Service Store” locations in the US, which are open to the public and provide what it calls “restaurant-quality” products and friendly service.
The deal also gives both companies access to products they do not already have, a source at the company said.
“The purchase of Halperns’ will enhance our capabilities to provide our customers with the highest quality fresh meat and seafood products,” Jim Gordon, CEO of Gordon Food Service, said in a release. “We are excited to welcome the Halperns’ team to Gordon Food Service. We look forward to working together to provide outstanding products and service to our customers and grow our business.”
Halpern, for his part, said the company’s team of 600 employees and its customer base was honored to join Gordon.
“Both companies have a long history of family-run businesses devoted to their employees, suppliers, and meeting and exceeding our customers’ highest expectations,” Halpern said. “Halperns’ will continue to grow its center-of-the-plate protein business and at the same time provide Halperns’ fresh meat and seafood through the Gordon Food Service distribution network.”
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