Blackstone To Buy Tropical Smoothie Cafe For Almost $2B

April 25, 2024 / no comments

Blackstone is preparing to buy one of the country’s 100 largest chain restaurants as it revives its investment activity after a 2023 lull.
The world’s largest private equity firm announced Thursday that it has reached a deal to acquire Tropical Smoothie Cafe from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. Blackstone is shelling out nearly $2B for the company, including assuming Tropical Smoothie’s debt, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Atlanta-based franchise smoothie and bowl purveyor has 1,400 locations in 44 states after opening roughly 175 new locations last year, 70% of which were with existing franchise operators, according to a press release.
Tropical Smoothie is the top smoothie or juice franchise in the U.S. and…

Amazon To Invest $11B In Indiana Data Center Project

April 25, 2024 / no comments

Amazon’s growing investment in data centers has taken root in Indiana, where the company plans to make a record investment in the state. 
Amazon will invest $11B on behalf of Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing arm of the company, to build out a data center campus in northern Indiana, the tech company announced Thursday.
In a social media post, Gov. Eric Holcomb called the investment “the largest in Indiana’s history.” 
The attention to data centers, a property type coming under increasing scrutiny from local governments and residents, comes as Amazon retools its once-aggressive warehouse strategy and sheds loads of office space. 

Excited to announce @awscloud’s…