For The Right Consumer Brands, The Exit Window Is Opening Again

BusinessRetailFor The Right Consumer Brands, The Exit Window Is Opening AgainByRichard Kestenbaum,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I do mergers & acquisitions in retail/consumer and write about trends.Follow AuthorJun 16, 2026, 10:35am EDTSummaryThe market for selling consumer brands, long stagnant due to cautious buyers and a shift away from "growth-at-any-price" investing, is finally reopening. This exit window is highly selective, favoring companies with proven profitability, repeat customers, resilient margins, and disciplined operations. Buyers are no longer interested in models reliant on discounting; instead, they seek brands offering strategic value, filling portfolio gaps, and bringing loyal, profitable customers. Founder-led businesses at a critical growth stage must demonstrate strong fundamentals and operational discipline to attract competitive offers. This healthier, albeit narrower, market rewards brands built on proof, not just potential.Show More For owners with businesses performing well, now is a good time to act on liquiditygettyFor several years, many consumer-brand founders heard a discouraging message: this is not the time to sell. Buyers are cautious, valuations are lower, financing is harder and the easy money that once rewarded growth without profits is gone.That message wasn’t wrong. Higher interest rates, tariff uncertainty, uneven consumer demand and the collapse of growth-at-any-price investing made it hard to sell or get liquidity. Antoine Munfakh, the Deputy Global Head of Private Equity at alternative asset manager Apollo Global, recently spoke to CNBC about the “years of delayed exits,” how private equity firms were delaying their sales of portfolio companies and “a $4 trillion backlog of unsold assets.” But a weak market is not the same as a closed one. For the right consumer brands, the exit window is opening again. The right companies have proof: repeat customers, res...