On the record · Other
Acosta Sales & Marketing
Carlyle Group acquired Acosta, one of the largest food and consumer goods sales agencies in North America, for roughly $3B in 2014. Acosta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 with $3B+ in debt, affecting thousands of field sales employees.
Research depth
Outcomes researched
Reviewed operating findings or a classified operating outcome are available.
Record updated Sept. 4, 2026
Current ownership
Current owner not established
This record does not identify a current owner. That absence is a gap in the record, not a conclusion about ownership.
1 ownership record has an unresolved current/former status.
Ownership and transaction history
Chronology from recorded ownership periods, transactions and reviewed outcome events. Event order does not imply causation.
Date not recorded
What happened under and after ownership
Operating outcome
Operating through distress or restructuring
Carlyle-owned Acosta filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 on December 1, 2019 to eliminate about $3 billion of debt while continuing to serve clients. It emerged on January 2, 2020 with Carlyle's equity wiped out.
Owned by funds associated with Elliott Management, Oaktree Capital, Davidson Kempner and Nexus Capital following the January 2020 debt-for-equity reorganization.
- Founded
- 1927
- Sponsor at closure
- The Carlyle Group
- Jacksonville Daily Record · 2019 · Carlyle-owned Acosta's December 1, 2019 prepackaged Chapter 11 filing, CEO statement that operations would continue without disruption, and $3 billion debt elim
- Bloomberg Law · Acosta emerged from Chapter 11 on January 2, 2020, with new equity ownership by Elliott Management, Oaktree Capital, Davidson Kempner and Nexus Capital funds, e
What we do not know
These are gaps in the public record, not findings about the organization.
- No current public ownership assessment has been published.
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