Companies and Brands

Joe & the Juice Gets Sold

MeXaHuK / iStock via Getty Images

Joe & the Juice sells juice and coffee out of 338 locations. Many are in Australia and Europe, but it will sell you a sandwich in some North American operations, including New York, San Francisco and Boston. The business is so attractive that a majority ownership interest Joe & the Juice was sold to private equity company General Atlantic.

Private equity (PE) firms are known for taking on debt when buying businesses and then cutting costs to pay that debt. Hopefully, Joe & the Juice will avoid that. The PE company says otherwise. It wants to cut Joe & the Juice financial obligations. It will have to put its money where its mouth is.

According to Bloomberg, the buyout price will be $641 million. Andrew Crawford, global head of consumer at General Atlantic, said, “There’s a real scarcity value associated with the business as it’s a global, multi-unit concept that’s been proven in Scandinavia, the UK and the US at scale.” He believes that the company has a future in e-commerce.

The buyout is a gamble. Joe & the Juice has a large number of competitors. The most obvious are McDonald’s and Starbucks, which also sell smoothies. There are thousands of tiny juice companies in the United States, Asia and Europe. (See the 50 most successful small businesses to start in America.)

The idea shows how PE firms will take long odds if they think a niche is promising. However, PE also has a short fuse. Give the deal two or three years and see what happens.

Travel Cards Are Getting Too Good To Ignore

Credit card companies are pulling out all the stops, with the issuers are offering insane travel rewards and perks.

We’re talking huge sign-up bonuses, points on every purchase, and benefits like lounge access, travel credits, and free hotel nights. For travelers, these rewards can add up to thousands of dollars in flights, upgrades, and luxury experiences every year.

It’s like getting paid to travel — and it’s available to qualified borrowers who know where to look.

We’ve rounded up some of the best travel credit cards on the market. Click here to see the list. Don’t miss these offers — they won’t be this good forever.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.