Canada-based MTY Food Group has engaged Toronto-Dominion (TD) Bank to assess a potential sale, as reported by Reuters.
MTY’s network comprises 7,061 units across North America and internationally, with 256 under company ownership and the rest run by franchisees.
The company owns a portfolio of restaurant brands that includes Pinkberry and Cold Stone Creamery, and operates or franchises more than 80 chains such as Wetzel’s Pretzels, Papa Murphy’s and TacoTime.
The Montreal-based company has refused to comment on the latest reports, while TD Bank had not promptly responded to requests for comment.
With a market value of $550m, any suitor would probably need to present a premium to that valuation.
Financial results published for the third quarter of 2025 ended 31 August showed MTY’s net income attributable to owners dropping about 20% to $27.9m, or $1.22 per diluted share, from $34.9m, or $1.46 per diluted share, in the same quarter a year earlier.
However, revenue of the company rose roughly 1% year-on-year to $297m.
MTY chairman Stanley Ma, established the business in 1979 and is its largest shareholder with a 13.9% stake, based on data from the London Stock Exchange Group.
Ma was CEO from 2004 until 2018.
MTY Franchising USA, a subsidiary of MTY, acquired Wetzel’s Pretzels from Dallas-based private equity company CenterOak Partners in 2022.
It also concluded the purchase of BBQ Holdings in the same year for $200m, at $17.25 per share. The acquisition took BBQ Holdings private, removing it from public trading.
