(Bloomberg) — Blackstone Inc. is close to an agreement to acquire sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s for about $8 billion including debt, according to a person familiar with the matter.
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A sale could be announced as soon as this week, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.
A final agreement hasn’t been reached and talks could still end without one, the person said.
A spokesperson for Blackstone declined to comment. A representative for Jersey Mike’s didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The talks were reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.
A deal would follow last year’s agreement by private equity firm Roark Capital Group to buy Subway, the larger rival of Jersey Mike’s, for more than $9 billion.
This year, Blackstone has been investing in food service chains.
In February, Blackstone announced a growth equity investment in 7 Brew Coffee to help accelerate the growth of the drive-thru beverage business. In April, Blackstone said it had agreed to acquire Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a franchiser of fast casual restaurants, from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners.
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