GlaxoSmithKline Buys Top European Sports Nutrition Company Maxinutrition

British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline announced it will acquire all of the stock of Maxinutrition, a UK company that manufactures protein-enhanced functional nutrition products, from Darwin Private Equity for £162 million, including repayment of outstanding debt. Maxinutrition’s brands include Maximuscle for gaining muscle, strength and power; Maxifuel for sports endurance; and Maxitone for female toning and weight management. Maxinutrition is Europe’s leading sports nutrition company in terms of market share. Sales growth, according to GSK, has been 21percent CAGR over the last three years. Sales were about £36 million for the fiscal year ended April 2010. GSK said it would invest in expanding Maxinutrition’s brands globally wherever GSK has “infrastructure and capabilities.”