Sectors / Consumer & Retail

Consumer
& Retail

M&A and capital raising for consumer brands, food and beverage companies, and retailers.

Sector overview

Services, coverage and team in one document.

The sector

We advise founders, owners and boards of consumer brands and retailers on selling, buying and financing their businesses.

The team includes bankers who ran consumer and retail capital markets teams at bulge-bracket firms, a former Macy's apparel merchant, and the co-owner of a specialty food company. We know how buyers and lenders read a wholesale account list, same-store sales and direct-to-consumer margins. Senior bankers run each engagement through closing.

$1.6B

In transactions closed across all YAC sectors since the firm was founded

30+ years

Transaction and industry experience on the team

What we do

Mergers and acquisitions

Exclusive sell-side and buy-side advice, including distressed businesses and assets and consolidation across categories. Strategic buyers and private equity firms are approached through senior relationships in the sector.

Equity and debt placements

Public and private placements with retail and institutional investors to fund growth or acquisitions, give shareholders liquidity, or restructure and stabilize the balance sheet.

Strategic advisory

Confidential advice to boards and special committees on strategic alternatives, including recovery structures for the company, its fund managers and secured lenders when losses have to be contained.

Public market advisory

IPO and secondary offering work with management on how the brand is positioned and differentiated for institutional investors.

Fairness opinions

Opinions under FINRA Rule 5150 on transactions between affiliated parties, where conflicts of interest can arise.

Selected transactions

$15,000,000

Confidential NYC restaurant group

Senior debt
January 2026

$17,000,000

Credo Fresh

Senior debt
November 2025

$900,000

VitaCup

Preferred equity
December 2023

$2,500,000

Austin Cocktails

Equity placement
March 2021

YAC acted as placement agent on each transaction.

Members of the team have also provided prior advisory services to Crumbs Bake Shop, Joe's Jeans, Sequential Brands, Isaac Mizrahi and Xcel Brands.

View all completed transactions

Past transactions are not indicative of future results.

Industry range

Food & beverage

Natural & Organic

Specialty Foods

Fresh Produce

Coffee & Beverages

Spirits & Ready-to-Drink

Apparel & brands

Women's Apparel

Denim & Footwear

Brand Licensing

Retail

Omni-channel Retail

Specialty Retail

Cannabis & Industrial Hemp

Retail Real Estate

Restaurants

Restaurant Groups

Bakery & Café

Foodservice

The team

David Link

Co-Head Consumer & Retail; Senior Director, Rocky Mountain Region

dlink@yacapital.com

More than 30 years in consumer and retail, primarily the Whole Foods channel and cannabis and industrial hemp. Previously at JDB/Lightpath Capital, Greenmont Capital, Appian Ventures, L.E.K. and Booz & Co. Based in Colorado.

Todd D. Slater

Senior Director, Co-Head of Consumer & Retail Banking

todd@yacapital.com

Consumer investment banking and sell-side capital markets at Threadstone Advisors, Lazard Capital Markets and UBS Securities. Earlier, nearly a decade as a senior executive and women's apparel merchant at Macy's.

Nicholas “Claude” Colabella

Director

claude@yacapital.com

More than 30 years in financial services, including alternative assets and investment research. Co-founder and owner of Little's Specialty Foods.

Omar Brown

Senior Managing Director, Investment Banking

omar@yacapital.com

More than 25 years advising institutional investors in public and private markets. Senior roles at Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Cowen, BTIG and RedTail Capital Markets.

Valerie Bowman

Vice President

valerie@yacapital.com

More than 25 years in commercial real estate at JLL, CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield. Before YAC, completed the $135 million sale of a Pennsylvania super license. Based in Philadelphia.

Peter Formanek, CPA

Founder & Managing Partner

peter@yacapital.com

Advisor to companies, fund managers and family offices for more than 30 years, with involvement in over 300 transactions.

View the full YAC team