HDL Capital Completes $10M Acquisition of The WORKS For Fresh Brands Inc.

TORONTO, Sept. 28 /CNW/ - HDL Capital Corporation  ("HDL") is pleased to announce closing of the acquisition of The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro ("The WORKS") by its client Fresh Brands Inc. ("Fresh Brands").  HDL arranged the financing which included investment from leading Private Equity, Institutional Mezzanine, and Bank financiers.

The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro opened its first store in 2001 and has expanded to six stores across the Ottawa Region. Since its inception The WORKS, has won numerous awards including Ottawa's Best burger for the past eight years in a row, Ottawa's best casual dining restaurant (2009), Ottawa's Employees Choice Awards best employer (2006-08), and Ottawa's Fastest growing business (2007-2009).

"The combination of a well developed concept and a profitable track record, make The WORKS an ideal business for expansion" said Andy O'Brien, President & CEO of Fresh Brands. Together with The WORKS team, Fresh Brands plans to aggressively expand this highly successful regional brand and bring the ultimate Gourmet Burger experience to neighbourhoods right across Canada. 

"We worked closely with the HDL team to source and finance this exciting acquisition, and their hard work, tenacity and experience in the space were key to securing the high quality investors that have come to the table" added O'Brien.

"Fresh Brands is an incredible team and were a pleasure to deal with. They will be very successful because the timing is right and they have the pedigree to execute on this opportunity" said Bernie Grybowski, President of HDL.

About HDL Capital Corporation

Founded in 1993, HDL is a Toronto based boutique investment bank and Exempt Market Dealer ("EMD") that completes private/public financings and M&A transactions for middle market companies across a range of industries in the Restaurant/Hospitality, Manufacturing, Technology, Mining/Resources, Marketing Services and Financial Services sectors.

About Fresh Brands Inc.

Fresh Brands Inc. is an Oakville based company with extensive 'Brand Building' experience across multiple industries including Consumer Packaged Goods, Beverage and Hospitality industries. Fresh Brands has three partners, Andy O'Brien, Bruce Miller and Sean Bell, and together they have over 50 years of experience growing brands in Canada, USA, Mexico and Europe.

For further information:

Bernie Grybowski, President, HDL Capital Corporation, 416-599-7330 x2114
[email protected]

Tyler Lang, Vice President, HDL Capital Corporation 416-599-7330 x 2105
[email protected]

For more information on Fresh Brands Inc. please visit www.freshbrands.ca or contact [email protected] .