Munich\/Burgheim\/New York City \u2014 Funds advi\u00adsed by Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe (\u201cEquis\u00adtone\u201d) sell their majo\u00adrity stake in Sport Group to KPS Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners, LP (\u201cKPS\u201d) follo\u00adwing a successful part\u00adner\u00adship. \u2014 With the support of Equis\u00adtone, the Bava\u00adrian-based group of compa\u00adnies has deve\u00adlo\u00adped into a leading inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal specia\u00adlist for arti\u00adfi\u00adcial turf and synthe\u00adtic sports and leisure surfaces for outdoor use. Toge\u00adther with the new owner KPS, this growth course is to be contin\u00adued. The tran\u00adsac\u00adtion, the finan\u00adcial details of which are not being disc\u00adlo\u00adsed, is subject to the usual regu\u00adla\u00adtory approvals.<\/p>\n
Sport Group was foun\u00added in 1969 and opera\u00adtes as a global player in the manu\u00adfac\u00adture of arti\u00adfi\u00adcial turf systems and synthe\u00adtic floor cove\u00adrings for sports and leisure with a strong presence in its home market of Germany as well as in Europe, Austra\u00adlia and the USA. Based in Burg\u00adheim, Bava\u00adria, the Group offers its custo\u00admers, inclu\u00adding well-known soccer clubs and sports compa\u00adnies and orga\u00adni\u00adzers such as FC Bayern Munich, the US Open and the Olym\u00adpic Games, a compre\u00adhen\u00adsive product port\u00adfo\u00adlio in the form of arti\u00adfi\u00adcial turf, poly\u00adure\u00adthane surfaces and compon\u00adents for indus\u00adtrial and land\u00adsca\u00adping applications.<\/p>\n
A central compo\u00adnent of the Sport Group\u2019s range of services is end-to-end project support: from the procu\u00adre\u00adment of raw mate\u00adri\u00adals and instal\u00adla\u00adtion to after-sales services and main\u00adten\u00adance. With a strong focus on rese\u00adarch and deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment, parti\u00adcu\u00adlarly in the area of sustaina\u00adbi\u00adlity, Sport Group has estab\u00adlished itself as an indus\u00adtry pioneer for sustainable tech\u00adno\u00adlo\u00adgies, products and services, inclu\u00adding the deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment of the worl\u00add\u2019s first carbon-neutral soccer and field field hockey turf and the first and so far only recy\u00adcling plant for arti\u00adfi\u00adcial turf and EPDM rubber. The Group curr\u00adently unites 19 subsi\u00addia\u00adries in nine count\u00adries under one roof and employs more than 1,900 people worldwide.<\/strong><\/p>\n In June 2015, Equis\u00adtone acqui\u00adred a<\/strong> majo\u00adrity stake in the Sport Group<\/strong><\/p>\n Since then, the specia\u00adlist for sports surfaces has driven forward its ambi\u00adtious growth targets with the support of Equis\u00adtone: With a total of nine successfully reali\u00adzed acqui\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adons during the holding period, the group size has been sustain\u00adably expan\u00added, as has its geogra\u00adphi\u00adcal presence in key growth markets such as Austra\u00adlia, the USA and Malay\u00adsia. Another focus was on the conti\u00adnuous expan\u00adsion of Group-wide sustaina\u00adbi\u00adlity exper\u00adtise: the deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment of sustainable products was signi\u00adfi\u00adcantly advan\u00adced with targe\u00adted invest\u00adments; the profi\u00adta\u00adbi\u00adlity and profes\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adliza\u00adtion of the Group was also sustain\u00adably streng\u00adthe\u00adned and adapted to the incre\u00adasing growth. During the joint part\u00adner\u00adship with Equis\u00adtone, the Sport Group has thus succee\u00added in more than doubling its corpo\u00adrate sales \u2014 despite a chal\u00adlen\u00adging econo\u00admic envi\u00adron\u00adment due to the coro\u00adna\u00advi\u00adrus pande\u00admic and disrupted supply chains.<\/p>\n Toge\u00adther with the new owner KPS, the Sport Group\u2019s growth is now to be taken to a new level. \u201cThe global dimen\u00adsion and the large number of growth oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties in this market segment make long-term invest\u00adments very attrac\u00adtive. Sport Group has deve\u00adlo\u00adped extre\u00admely well in recent years. The stra\u00adte\u00adgic steps we have taken toge\u00adther with the manage\u00adment team have sustain\u00adably streng\u00adthe\u00adned the company and helped to expand its leading posi\u00adtion in the Euro\u00adpean market to the inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal arena,\u201d explains Dr. Marc Arens, Senior Part\u00adner and Coun\u00adtry Head DACH\/NL at Equistone.<\/p>\n Chris\u00adtoph von Nitzsch, CEO of Sport Group, adds: \u201cThe joint part\u00adner\u00adship with Equis\u00adtone has been extre\u00admely successful \u2014 toge\u00adther we have been able to signi\u00adfi\u00adcantly inten\u00adsify our growth in recent years and conti\u00adnue our inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal expan\u00adsion. We look forward to conti\u00adnuing this successful course with KPS and to further advan\u00adcing our goal of setting new stan\u00addards in sustaina\u00adbi\u00adlity within our industry.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Equis\u00adtone side, the funds were advi\u00adsed by Dr. Marc Arens, Maxi\u00admi\u00adlian G\u00f6ppert, Moritz Treude and Mark Feiler.<\/p>\n Advi\u00adsor to Equistone: <\/strong><\/p>\n Houli\u00adhan Lokey<\/strong> (Lead M&A), William Blair (M&A), Latham & Watkins LLP<\/strong> advi\u00adsed Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe with the follo\u00adwing team:<\/p>\n Burc Hesse (Part\u00adner, lead), Dr. Sebas\u00adtian Pauls (Part\u00adner), Dr. Julia Sch\u00f6\u00adfer, Dr. Manuel Schmutz\u00adler, Julian Glaub, Dr. Corinna Freu\u00adden\u00adma\u00adcher (all Asso\u00adciate, all Corpo\u00adrate, Munich), Dr. Susan Kempe-M\u00fcller (Part\u00adner), Daniela Jaeger, Gracia Engwaya (both Asso\u00adciate, all IP), Dr. Max Hauser (Part\u00adner), Judith Jacob (Asso\u00adciate, both Anti\u00adtrust), Joachim Gritt\u00admann (Coun\u00adsel, Regu\u00adla\u00adtory), Dr. Wolf-Tassilo B\u00f6hm (Coun\u00adsel), Clemens Ganz (Asso\u00adciate, both Data Protec\u00adtion), Sven Nickel (Coun\u00adsel), Marie-Chris\u00adtine Welp (Asso\u00adciate, both Real Estate), Ralph Drae\u00adger, Verena Birke (both Asso\u00adciate, Finance, all Frank\u00adfurt), Dr. Ulf Kieker (Part\u00adner), Manuela Minsel (Asso\u00adciate, Tax), Dr. Tobias Leder (Part\u00adner), Martina H\u00f6lzer (Asso\u00adciate, both Employ\u00adment, all Munich), Dr. Stefan Bartz (Coun\u00adsel, Compli\u00adance), Kath\u00adrin Krim\u00admer (Legal Analyst, Liti\u00adga\u00adtion, both Hamburg), and with further support from the Latham & Watkins offices in London, Hous\u00adton, Boston and Washing\u00adton D.C.<\/p>\n About Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe About Sport Group<\/strong> About KPS Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners, LP<\/strong> Munich\/Burgheim\/New York City \u2014 Funds advi\u00adsed by Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe (\u201cEquis\u00adtone\u201d) sell their majo\u00adrity stake in Sport Group to KPS Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners, LP (\u201cKPS\u201d) follo\u00adwing a successful part\u00adner\u00adship. \u2014 With the support of Equis\u00adtone, the Bava\u00adrian-based group of compa\u00adnies has deve\u00adlo\u00adped into a leading inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal specia\u00adlist for arti\u00adfi\u00adcial turf and synthe\u00adtic sports and leisure surfaces [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51191,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886,1364,1365,1366,1367,1368,1369,1377,1378,2635],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-en","category-featured-en","category-private-equity-en","category-news-en","category-lawyers-tax-advisors-auditors-en","category-lawyers-tax-consultants-auditors","category-investors","category-corporate-finance-ma","category-management-consultant-investor-relations","category-corporate-finance-mergers-acquisitions-en-en"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBCG<\/strong> (Commer\u00adcial)
\nDeloitte<\/strong> (Finan\u00adcial)
\nErnst&Young<\/strong> (Tax & EHS)
\nLatham<\/strong> (Legal)
\nPwC<\/strong> (Data Analytics)
\nCrescendo<\/strong> (Commu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adons)
\nGood\u00adwin<\/strong> (finan\u00adcing)<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>
\nThe funds advi\u00adsed by Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe are among the most active Euro\u00adpean equity inves\u00adtors with a team of more than 40 invest\u00adment specia\u00adlists in seven offices in Germany, Switz\u00ader\u00adland, the Nether\u00adlands, France and the UK. The Equis\u00adtone funds invest prima\u00adrily in estab\u00adlished medium-sized compa\u00adnies with a good market posi\u00adtion, above-average growth poten\u00adtial and an enter\u00adprise value of between EUR 50 and 500 million. Since incep\u00adtion, the funds have inves\u00adted equity in more than 180 tran\u00adsac\u00adtions. The port\u00adfo\u00adlio of Equis\u00adtone funds curr\u00adently compri\u00adses around 50 compa\u00adnies across Europe, inclu\u00adding around 20 invest\u00adments in Germany, Switz\u00ader\u00adland, the Nether\u00adlands and Belgium. For more infor\u00adma\u00adtion, visit www.equistonepe.com.<\/p>\n
\nwww.sportgroup-holding.com<\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/de.kpsfund.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"