Consumer M&A in Los Angeles spans food, beverage, beauty, CPG, and retail in 2026. This covers 11 active advisors in LA - deal sizes, sector focus, and recent transactions in the LA consumer market.
Consumer M&A in Los Angeles in 2026
LA consumer M&A is driven by PE rollup activity in food, beauty, and CPG. Regional brand density and proximity to retail buyers make LA one of the top US consumer M&A markets.
Consumer deal volume dropped 18.9% in 2025 as higher rates compressed mid-market valuations. Median EV/EBITDA multiples for consumer deals settled at 9.2x in 2025, per GF Data.
Share deal materials with buyers using Ellty's secure file sharing. Consumer buyers move fast on CPG and beauty targets once they see clean financials.
Set granular permissions so PE and strategic buyers see different document sets. Controlling access by investor tier reduces information leakage during a competitive process.
| Advisor | Deal Type | Deal Size | Sector Focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greif & Co | Greif & Co | Both | $10M-$500M | Consumer brands, food, beauty, CPG, retail | greifco.com |
| Intrepid Investment Bankers | Intrepid Investment Bankers | Both | $20M-$500M | Consumer, food and beverage, retail, health and wellness | intrepidbankers.com |
| CriticalPoint Partners | CriticalPoint Partners | Both | $20M-$300M | Retail, consumer brands, restaurants, food service | criticalpointpartners.com |
| Houlihan Lokey | Houlihan Lokey | Both | $50M-$5B+ | Consumer retail, food and beverage, branded CPG | hl.com |
| Harris Williams | Harris Williams | Sell-side | $50M-$1B+ | Consumer and retail, food and beverage, beauty, pet | harriswilliams.com |
| Lincoln International | Lincoln International | Both | $50M-$1B+ | Consumer, food and beverage, retail, health and wellness | lincolninternational.com |
| William Blair | William Blair | Both | $100M-$2B+ | Branded consumer, beauty, CPG, specialty retail | williamblair.com |
| Capstone Partners | Capstone Partners | Both | $10M-$250M | Consumer products, food and beverage, personal care, retail | capstonepartners.com |
| Piper Sandler | Piper Sandler | Both | $50M-$2B+ | Consumer discretionary, retail, food, beauty | pipersandler.com |
| Raymond James | Raymond James | Both | $25M-$500M | Consumer and retail, food and beverage, health and wellness | raymondjames.com |
| FOCUS Investment Banking | FOCUS Investment Banking | Both | $5M-$100M | Consumer products, distribution, specialty food, retail | focusbankers.com |
How to choose a consumer M&A advisor
Ask for a deal list from the last 36 months showing specific brand names and deal values. A consumer-focused advisor closes 3-5 branded consumer deals per year minimum.
Make sure the advisor covers your specific sub-sector. A beauty advisor knows different PE buyers than a food and beverage or sporting goods advisor.
Check if the advisor has relationships with PE firms active in your category. Buy-side relationships are what drive competitive processes and higher exit multiples.
Use Ellty's dynamic watermarking to protect your brand decks from leaking. See our Los Angeles technology M&A advisor guide for advisor comparison context.
Preparing a LA consumer brand for sale?
Set up your Ellty data room before advisor outreach begins.
Start free 14-day trialConsumer M&A deal timeline: 6 stages
LA consumer brand deals typically run five to nine months from first advisor engagement to close. Brands entering with clean financials and a prepared data room move through diligence faster.
| What happens | What you need ready | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Preparation | Valuation, advisor selection, CIM and brand overview drafted | 3 years P&L, SKU-level margins, brand overview deck |
| Stage 2: Advisor engagement | Engagement letter signed, buyer list built by category | Engagement letter, NDA template, supplier list ready |
| Stage 3: Marketing | Teaser and CIM distributed to PE funds and strategic acquirers | Ellty data room with CIM, brand deck, and channel revenue breakdown |
| Stage 4: LOI | Buyers submit bids, advisor shortlists top two to three | Updated revenue data, retailer scorecards, LOI draft |
| Stage 5: Due diligence | Buyer reviews brand, supply chain, SKU margins, and contracts | Full Ellty data room: supplier contracts, retailer agreements, customer data |
| Stage 6: Close | Purchase agreement signed, brand and IP transferred to buyer | Board resolutions, IP assignments, supply agreement transfers |
11 LA consumer M&A advisors for 2026
These firms are active in food and beverage, beauty, CPG, health and wellness, and retail M&A across Los Angeles and the broader US consumer market in 2026.
1. Greif & Co
Greif & Co is the most dedicated LA boutique for consumer M&A, with decades of brand exit advisory. They focus almost entirely on branded consumer companies from $10M to $500M in enterprise value.
Recent Deals: Exclusively advised on multiple consumer brand transactions through 2025-2026 in food, beverage, health, and wellness categories from their LA headquarters.
LinkedIn: Greif & Co on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer brands, food and beverage, beauty, CPG, retail
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $10M-$500M
Location: Los Angeles, CA (headquarters)
Website: greifco.com
2. Intrepid Investment Bankers
Intrepid is an LA-founded bank running consumer, food, beauty, and retail M&A mandates since 2010. They were named to the Los Angeles Business Journal LA500 list and ranked among the top LA firms.
Recent Deals: Named to the Los Angeles Business Journal LA500 list (2025). Active in consumer, food and beverage, health and wellness, and retail M&A transactions throughout 2025-2026.
LinkedIn: Intrepid Investment Bankers on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer, food and beverage, retail, health and wellness, personal care
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $20M-$500M
Location: Los Angeles, CA (headquarters, founded 2010)
Website: intrepidbankers.com
3. CriticalPoint Partners
CriticalPoint focuses exclusively on the retail and consumer sector from a multi-city platform. They advised on 100+ consumer, restaurant, and retail transactions since founding.
Recent Deals: Active in retail, consumer brand, and food service M&A through 2025-2026. CriticalPoint has advised on 100+ transactions across consumer retail, restaurants, and food service sectors.
LinkedIn: CriticalPoint Partners on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Retail, consumer brands, restaurants, food service, specialty
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $20M-$300M
Location: Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY
Website: criticalpointpartners.com
4. Houlihan Lokey
Houlihan Lokey's consumer retail and food and beverage M&A practice is based in Century City, LA. They run some of the most competitive consumer auction processes in the mid and large-cap market.
Recent Deals: Active in consumer retail, food and beverage, and branded CPG M&A through 2025-2026 with deal teams based in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.
LinkedIn: Houlihan Lokey on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer retail, food and beverage, branded CPG, health and wellness
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$5B+
Location: Century City, Los Angeles, CA (headquarters)
Website: hl.com
5. Harris Williams
Harris Williams is one of the most active advisors for PE-backed consumer and CPG exits nationally. They run structured sell-side processes for food, beverage, beauty, and pet companies.
Recent Deals: One of the most active US advisors in consumer and retail M&A with consistent volume through 2025-2026. Harris Williams is a division of RBC Capital Markets with deep PE sponsor relationships.
LinkedIn: Harris Williams on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer and retail, food and beverage, beauty, pet, health and wellness
Deal Type: Sell-side
Deal Size: $50M-$1B+
Location: Richmond, VA (active in the LA consumer market)
Website: harriswilliams.com
6. Lincoln International
Lincoln International runs a dedicated consumer, food and beverage, and retail M&A practice. They are consistently ranked among the most active mid-market consumer advisors in the US.
Recent Deals: Active in consumer, food and beverage, health and wellness, and retail M&A through 2025-2026 with dedicated teams covering LA and Western US market relationships.
LinkedIn: Lincoln International on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer, food and beverage, retail, health and wellness, beauty
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$1B+
Location: Los Angeles, CA and national offices
Website: lincolninternational.com
Selling a consumer brand in Los Angeles?
Control which buyers see your SKU margins and supplier terms.
Start free 14-day trial7. William Blair
William Blair's consumer investment banking team advises on branded consumer, beauty, and CPG M&A. They have strong PE sponsor relationships and consistently run competitive auction processes.
Recent Deals: Active in branded consumer, beauty, CPG, and specialty retail M&A through 2025-2026 with deep coverage of PE-backed consumer transactions and cross-border deal advisory.
LinkedIn: William Blair on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Branded consumer, beauty, CPG, specialty retail, health and wellness
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $100M-$2B+
Location: Chicago, IL (active in the LA consumer market)
Website: williamblair.com
8. Capstone Partners
Capstone Partners covers consumer and retail M&A for mid-market brands at the $10M-$250M level. They named as one of the top 10 most active US M&A advisors across consecutive rankings.
Recent Deals: Named among the top 10 most active US M&A advisors in multiple consecutive rankings. Active in consumer products, food and beverage, personal care, and retail M&A through 2025-2026.
LinkedIn: Capstone Partners on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer products, food and beverage, personal care, retail
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $10M-$250M
Location: National coverage with Los Angeles market access
Website: capstonepartners.com
9. Piper Sandler
Piper Sandler's consumer team covers retail, food, beauty, and consumer discretionary M&A. They bring research-backed insights to their sell-side and buy-side consumer advisory work.
Recent Deals: Named 2025 Outstanding M&A Investment Bank of the Year by the Global M&A Network. Active in consumer discretionary, retail, food, and beauty M&A through 2025-2026.
LinkedIn: Piper Sandler on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer discretionary, retail, food and beverage, beauty
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $50M-$2B+
Location: National coverage with Los Angeles market access
Website: pipersandler.com
10. Raymond James
Raymond James advises on consumer and retail M&A with strong PE buyer relationships nationally. Their consumer team is particularly active at the lower-middle-market level in branded CPG.
Recent Deals: Active in consumer and retail, food and beverage, and health and wellness M&A through 2025-2026. Raymond James operates one of the largest middle-market investment banking platforms in the US.
LinkedIn: Raymond James on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer and retail, food and beverage, health and wellness, branded CPG
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $25M-$500M
Location: National coverage with Los Angeles market access
Website: raymondjames.com
11. FOCUS Investment Banking
FOCUS Investment Banking covers consumer products and distribution M&A for companies under $100M. They specialize in founder-owned businesses and closely held consumer companies below the mid-market.
Recent Deals: Active in consumer products, specialty food, distribution, and retail M&A through 2025-2026 with a team serving founder-owned and family-held consumer companies.
LinkedIn: FOCUS Investment Banking on LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Consumer products, specialty food, distribution, retail
Deal Type: Both
Deal Size: $5M-$100M
Location: National coverage with Los Angeles market access
Website: focusbankers.com
How LA beauty and CPG deals get done
Beauty and CPG deals in LA run differently than product company M&A in other markets. Brand equity, retail distribution, and DTC channel metrics all affect buyer appetite here.
PE buyers in beauty typically pay 8-12x EBITDA for brands with strong retailer relationships. Brands with TikTok-driven DTC growth but thin retailer presence trade at a discount.
Read about sell-side due diligence before your first buyer meeting. Consumer buyers will ask for SKU-level margins, retailer scorecards, and supplier agreements in diligence.
CPG deals often close through structured auctions run by advisors with active PE networks. LA advisors like Greif & Co and Intrepid run these processes to maximize competitive tension among buyers.
Sell-side process for LA consumer brands
A consumer sell-side process typically takes five to nine months from engagement to close. Brands that enter with clean financials and staged data rooms move faster through diligence.
Your advisor should build a buyer list spanning strategic acquirers, PE firms, and family offices. LA consumer brands often attract buyers from New York, Chicago, and international FMCG groups.
Review the full due diligence process guide before entering the market. Buyers who find surprises in diligence will retrade the deal or walk away from the LOI.
The private equity buyer pool for LA consumer brands is deep and active in 2026. PE firms account for 60-70% of consumer M&A deal volume at the mid-market level.
What PE buyers check first in LA M&A
PE buyers acquiring consumer brands check gross margin, revenue concentration, and supplier terms first. Brands with 60%+ gross margins and multiple retail channels are higher priority targets.
Revenue concentration above 30% in one customer is a diligence red flag for most PE buyers. Advisors who know the PE buyer universe can help you frame concentration risk constructively.
Prepare your SKU-level margin data and supplier contract terms before your advisor begins outreach. PE firms will request this in phase two, but having it ready accelerates the process significantly.
PE buyers also check social media brand equity and influencer-driven revenue attribution. A beauty brand with strong organic social growth commands a premium over pure paid-channel brands.
How Ellty helps you close a consumer M&A deal in LA
Now you have your LA consumer M&A advisor shortlist. Here is how to set up your data room for brand buyer outreach.
- 1.Upload brand financials and licensing agreementsAdd SKU-level margins and supplier contracts before your advisor contacts buyers. Upload your brand deck and retailer scorecards to the data room.
- 2.Control who sees your margins and supplier contractsStage access by buyer type so PE firms and strategics see different document sets. Share brand overview before NDA and full financials after.
- 3.Monitor which PE firms and strategics open your filesTrack which buyers review your CIM and how long they spend on key documents. Real-time alerts help you follow up at the right moment.
Common questions about LA consumer M&A advisors
- Greif & Co is the most LA-dedicated boutique for consumer M&A, with decades of brand exit advisory focused on branded consumer companies. CriticalPoint Partners also focuses exclusively on the retail and consumer sector.
- Most consumer brand deals run five to nine months from first advisor engagement to close. Brands entering with clean financials and a staged data room typically move through diligence faster.
- Consumer brand multiples averaged 9.2x EV/EBITDA in 2025, with beauty and premium CPG brands reaching 10-14x for top performers. Your multiple depends on gross margin, channel diversity, and revenue growth trajectory.
- Yes - organize your SKU margins, retailer scorecards, and supplier agreements before the first meeting. Set up an Ellty data room to show buyers you are ready to move efficiently through diligence.
- PE buyers focus on EBITDA margin and gross margin expansion potential for a buy-and-build strategy. Strategic acquirers focus on channel fit, brand equity, and distribution white space that the brand unlocks.
