Rhubarb Hospitality Collection acquired by US investment company Oak View Group

Oak View Group (OVG) is focused on the sports, live entertainment and convention industries and says it has purchased Rhubarb Hospitality Collection (RHC) to ‘elevate the experience for fans at venues around the world, ensuring every fan gets a premium experience’.

Established over 25 years ago, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection says it caterers for over 5m people per year at venues in the UK, the US and Germany. 

Its UK projects include the Royal Albert Hall, Ascot Racecourse, Sky Garden, 22 Bishopsgate and immersive live entertainment experiences Mamma Mia!

The two companies are set to work with each other on Co-op Live, the UK’s largest arena which is currently being developed in Manchester by OVG in partnership with City Football Group. Rhubarb will help deliver Co-op Live’s commitments to sustainability and local sourcing.

OVG was founded in 2015 by music industry heavyweights Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff as a ‘positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment, and hospitality industries’.

The company has grown rapidly, 'building the world’s most sustainable arenas, putting venues at the heart of communities, and ensuring the fan experience is second to none'. 

OVG has billions of Dollars in capital deployed across nine projects globally, five of which are now open and operational. Co-op Live in Manchester will be the 6th when it opens, followed by Sao Paolo, Las Vegas, and Cardiff.

“This acquisition, along with other companies we acquired over the last two years, gives us a platform that we think rivals or is better than any other food and beverage company out there," says OVG chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke. 

"We feel strongly about this because we are facility owners and operators, and we see food and beverage differently than people who are simply just third-party vendors. If you look at the arenas we own and operate and you look at our upcoming ventures, like Co-op Live, by adding Rhubarb we think we are now best-in-class on premium experience and hospitality and that is in large part because of our knowledge and experiences as arena owners and operators, not just food and beverage vendors. 

Pieter-Bas Jacobse, chief executive of Rhubarb Hospitality Group, added: “This is an incredibly meaningful partnership for Rhubarb, and we are thrilled to partner with OVG. We have known the team for many years, they understand our business model, and we all see best-in-class hospitality as essential to the value proposition between venues and their fans. Together, we are determined to redefine what it means to deliver a truly exceptional and unforgettable experience in our industry.”

OVG purchased Rhubarb Hospitality Collection from LGT Private Debt.