Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., Canada, and its partners acquired M&M Meat Shops Ltd., a Canada-based independent retailer of specialty frozen foods.

“M&M Meat Shops is an iconic Canadian brand with a strong and established network of dedicated and successful franchise partners,” says Erol Uzumeri, a founding partner of Searchlight. “With the right investments, we look forward to realizing the growth potential of the company.”

Mac Voisin founded M&M Meat Shops in 1980, and will remain an advisor to the company.

“Canadians love and trust M&M Meat Shops because they can count on the quality and convenience of its products. I am confident that the new team will continue to ensure that the brand remains a Canadian favorite,” says Voisin.

Andy O’Brien was appointed chief executive officer and Sam Florio as chief financial officer. O’Brien has more than 25 years of experience in the food industry. Most recently, he was chief executive officer of The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro, where he led the expansion of the company from six to 27 stores. Previously, O’Brien was president of Kelsey’s Bar & Grill and Montana’s Cookhouse, where he managed a franchise network of 200 stores across Canada. Florio was formerly the vice president of finance and business planning at Cara Operations Ltd., and has held a number of finance and business development roles at Mars, Inc.