Thai Union is a global seafood supplier of lobster, shrimp, sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon and crab under the Chicken of the Sea, King Oscar, John West and Petit Navire brands.
Thai Union Group PCL, Bangkok, made a $575 million strategic investment in Red Lobster, an Orlando, Fla.-based seafood restaurant company. Golden Gate Capital, San Francisco, will still remain majority owner and retain operational control of Red Lobster.
“Red Lobster is an iconic brand, with a leading market position in seafood casual dining and a world-class management team, and has delivered strong performance since Golden Gate acquired the company in 2014,” says Thiraphong Chansiri, chief executive officer of Thai Union Group. “This investment marks a strategic step to build Thai Union’s direct-to-consumer channel, and will enable us to benefit from the extensive restaurant industry expertise of both the Red Lobster management team and Golden Gate. We have worked closely with Red Lobster for over two decades, and are highly supportive of the strategy Red Lobster has implemented under Golden Gate’s ownership. We are confident that all Thai Union stakeholders will benefit from Red Lobster’s continued growth and success over the long term.”