Liberty Tax plans to acquire the Vitamin Shoppe for about $208 million in cash. The recently announced deal is part of Liberty’s expansion plan, which in July led to its buying Buddy’s Home Furnishings.Liberty expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter. It is expected to be accomplished through $170 million in debt financing along with a combination of cash and/or the issuance of Liberty common stock. The press release calls it both an all-cash deal and then discusses the possibility of using some stock.
After the Buddy’s acquisition, this is the second step towards the company’s change of direction—buying franchising companies with the parent changing its name to Franchise Group Inc. The company will continue to operate its tax preparation business under the name Liberty Tax.
Based in New Jersey, The Vitamin Shoppe operates more than 780 stores which sell nutritional supplements.