Sun Capital Plucks Boston Market Chain

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Sun Capital Partners got deeper into the food business yesterday with confirmation it has agreed to purchase the Boston Market chain from McDonald's Corp. The firm, which last September acquired Marsh Supermarkets in Indianapolis for approximately $88 million, did not disclose terms. Boston Market, which helped usher in the home-meal replacement boom of the late 1990s, currently has 630 restaurants in 28 states. While under McDonald’s umbrella, the company also licensed its name to H.J. Heinz for a line of frozen entrees, sides and dinners. McDonald's acquired Boston Market in 2000 for $173.5 million as part of an initiative to diversify its business. The world’s largest restaurant chain invested in chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill in 1998 and Pret A Manger in 2001. Last year, McDonald’s divested itself of its shares in Chipotle.

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