the agreement represented “a defining moment”
Former Dragons’ Den investor Tej Lalvani has agreed to sell his family’s vitamins business, Vitabiotics, to US private equity firm Bain Capital in a deal worth around £1 billion.
The acquisition ends more than 50 years of family ownership after Vitabiotics was founded in 1971 by Professor Kartar Lalvani.
The supplements company has since become the UK’s largest vitamin business by sales.
Lalvani said: “I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to build on my father’s vision to harness the power of science and nutrition to improve everyday health.”
He added that the agreement represented “a defining moment” in the company’s history.
Vitabiotics is best known for supplements including Pregnacare, Wellman and Wellwoman. Its products are sold in more than 70 countries.
Professor Kartar Lalvani, now 94, was born in Karachi into a Sindhi Sikh family. The son of a pharmacist, he moved to London in the 1950s to study before establishing Vitabiotics in 1971.
The company remained family-owned throughout its history. It expanded without outside investors, bank loans or overdrafts, according to previous comments from Tej Lalvani.
After joining the business following university, Tej Lalvani worked across multiple departments. He has previously said he started by placing labels on boxes in the warehouse before progressing through the company.
He has also rejected claims that he simply inherited the business, explaining that his father held him to higher standards than other employees.
Outside the boardroom, Lalvani became widely recognised as one of the investors on BBC’s Dragons’ Den.
He joined the programme in 2017 before leaving in 2021, when Steven Bartlett took his place.
His elder brother, Professor Ajit Lalvani, an infectious diseases expert at Imperial College London, has also advised Vitabiotics for many years as a non-executive director alongside his medical career.
Bain Capital said it plans to support Vitabiotics’ international growth by expanding further into markets including India, China, the Middle East and North Africa.
The investment firm also confirmed that the UK will remain at the centre of the business following the acquisition, with no immediate changes planned to day-to-day operations.
Future investment will focus on developing new products, strengthening e-commerce, improving supply chains and expanding international distribution.
Vitabiotics has built strong consumer recognition in the UK through advertising campaigns featuring model David Gandy for Wellman and television presenter Tess Daly for Wellwoman.
The £1 billion transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.
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