Exhibit 99.1
Advantage Solutions further simplifies portfolio by selling its collection of foodservice businesses to Prospect Hill Growth Partners to
form Acxion Foodservice
IRVINE, Calif., January 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ADV), a leading
provider of sales and marketing services to consumer goods manufacturers and retailers, today announced it has sold its collection of foodservice businesses, most notably Waypoint, to Prospect Hill Growth Partners, L.P.
As part of the sale, the foodservice businesses will be combined with KeyImpact Sales & Systems Inc., with Advantage receiving total proceeds of
approximately $100 million, which is a combination of mostly cash and an ongoing 7.5% stake in the combined entity. The sale will streamline Advantages portfolio, allowing the company to focus on its core retail businesses and strengthen
its balance sheet.
As a result of the transaction, which closed today, KeyImpact will combine with Waypoint, Marlin Connections, Primeline, CSSI, Ettros,
Halverson Group and Coleman, Greear & Associates to form one of North Americas leading foodservice solutions agencies, Acxion Foodservice (www.acxion.com). In addition to its stake in Acxion, Advantage will obtain a seat on its board
of directors.
Acxion is the perfect partner for our foodservice companies, and the combination of the businesses will create a player with the
capabilities and breadth to offer industry-leading services. While we continue to see growth potential in the foodservice category, we believe that our clients are best served when we focus on our core retail capabilities while partnering to compete
in adjacent segments, said Advantage Solutions CEO Dave Peacock. This deal allows Advantage to further prioritize other growth efforts in a more focused way. We are excited to partner with Acxion on an ongoing basis, and we look forward
to sharing in the companys success going forward.
Advantage and Acxion will maintain a close relationship, helping to ensure that their
complementary services are available to common clients between the two distinct brokerage channels.
Advantage Solutions plans to use the majority of the
proceeds of the deal to pay down debt, further strengthening its balance sheet and allowing the company to strategically invest in its talent and core businesses.
Simplifying our business sharpens our focus on how we convert shoppers into buyers for both our consumer packaged goods and retailer customers,
Peacock said. The strategic decisions were making at Advantage are designed to improve how we serve our clients and customers, while helping us improve cash flow and position the company for profitable growth.
This sale is Advantages latest business initiative focused on its broader plan to accelerate growth. The company also announced today it has entered
into two separate agreements with third-party technology companies to optimize and streamline a host of business process and administrative functions.