Ardian acquires a stake in Kapten & Son, a leading german brand for accessories and lifestyle products

Ardian

10 March 2021 Growth Germany

Paris/Cologne/Frankfurt, March 10, 2021 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces a minority investment in Kapten & Son, a German brand specializing in the online retail sale of lifestyle and fashion accessories. This minority stake acquisition through one of its Ardian Growth funds marks the first investment in Germany by Ardian Growth and it will enable the team to support Kapten & Son’s founders in their European ambitions.

Founded in 2014, by Johannes Theobald, Artjem Weissbeck, and Fabian Deventer, Kapten & Son has established itself as a leading name in the German fashion and lifestyle accessories market and begun its expansion in Europe. Over the past two years, Kapten & Son has increased its turnover to over 50 million Euro, fueled by the quality of its products, its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) strategy and its extensive expertise across marketing and data analysis.

Ardian Growth will support the founders as a strategic partner to build and grow the business. The team at Ardian Growth boasts a strong track record in this space, substantiated by experience gathered across the e-commerce market. In addition, Ardian will support the internationalization by leveraging its global network and its expertise in targeted build-up strategy.

Johannes Theobald, co-founder, stated: “We are proud to have been able to create a leading brand in Germany thanks to the quality of our products and the knowledge we have of our customers’ expectations. We now want to accelerate and expand in Europe.”
Fabian Deventer, co-founder, added: “Products are one of the strengths of Kapten & Son. Our marketing expertise, combined with our knowledge of customers’ expectations thanks to our data analysis tools, are elements that clearly differentiate our model.”

Artjem Weissbeck, co-founder, commented: “We were not just looking for a financing but for a true strategic partner who could understand our growth challenges and the specificities of online sales and help us make potential acquisitions. Ardian convinced us on these three aspects and their pan-European reach.”
Laurent Foata, Managing Director and Head of Ardian Growth commented: “Currently, we invest in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and in Benelux and we have demonstrated track record of our ability to help companies meet their aims and objectives. For us, Germany represents a target market in which we aim to continue investing. We are pleased to take this first step with a company as dynamic as Kapten & Son.”
Romain Chiudini, Director at Ardian Growth, continues: “We recognized in Kapten & Son, and moreover in management team, all the qualities we search in fast growing companies in Digital market. Their value of entrepreneurship, innovation and ambition are similar to ours. Kapten & Son is now sized to build its position as a leading player in the new e-commerce generation, which is considered to be a particularly buoyant sector.”

ABOUT KAPTEN & SON

Kapten & Son was founded in 2014 and is today one of the fastest growing fashion and accessories companies in Europe. Thanks to high-quality products, a strong DTC approach and bundled marketing expertise, Kapten & Son has developed into an expanding company at a rapid pace.
Today, the product portfolio includes accessories, suitcases, backpacks, eyewear and watches, which are sold in over 30 countries via the Kapten & Son online store, as well as six Kapten & Son retail flagship stores and exclusive boutique partners. More than 150 employees work at the headquarters in Cologne and in the retail stores on the further expansion of the company.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$110bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 700 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Follow @Ardian on Twitter

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

  • Ardian Growth

    • Laurent Foata, Romain Chiudini, Olivier Roy
  • Kapten & Son

    • M&A advisors Kapten & Son: GCA Altium (Tobias Schultheiss, Martin Rezaie, Pascal Haas, Neil Schmodde)
    • Legal advisors Kapten & Son: Gütt Olk Feldhaus (Sebastian Olk, Isabelle Vrancken, Dominik Forstner)
    • Legal advisor Ardian: McDermott Will & Emery (Diana Hund, Emmanuelle Turek, Germar Enders, Matthias Weingut, Antoine Vergnat, Côme de Saint Vincent, Nina Siewert)
    • Financial advisor Ardian: Deloitte (Egon Sachsalber, Tanya Fehr, Axel Kroniger, Elisabeth Comes)
    • Strategic advisor Ardian: Singulier (Rémi Pesseguier, Kitson Symes, Sam Yu-Hsun Lin, Dan Strauss, Michael Ymélé, Ghita Fizazi, Alexandre Moog and Pavlo Konotop)

Press CONTACTS

Kapten & Son

JULIKA WILLMS

press@kapten-son.com +49 151 744 716 83 / +49 221 588 335 71

Ardian – Headland

GREGOR RIEMANN

griemann@headlandconsultancy.co.uk +44 (0)7920 802627

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ALTOR FORMS NOD AND ACQUIRES STRING FURNITURE AND PHOTOWALL – THERESE HILLMAN NAMED CEO AND SUSANNA CAMPBELL CHAIRMAN

Altor

ltor has invested in Photowall and String Furniture, to build the foundation for Network of Design (NOD), a network of design companies with strong brands. NOD will be led by the former CEO of NetEnt, Therese Hillman.
NOD will gather companies well positioned for the ongoing shift to online sales in the consumer industry. The company will help the brands take the next step in their international growth journey.
“By establishing NOD we have started our work in forming the leading network for ambitious entrepreneurs in the affordable luxury design space” says Andreas Källström, Partner at Altor. “NOD will have a dedicated management team that will help the group companies deliver on their strategies and bring in additional companies in the partnership. As an owner Altor will also support the team with capital, expertise and experience both in value creation and acquisitions”.

“I feel excited about what NOD is and what it can become. We will bring together a unique set of design brands undergoing rapid growth. We partner with the founders, who continue to be co-owners, and create a design ecosystem where NOD supports in all aspects of their journey”, says Therese Hillman, CEO of the newly established NOD.
The current NOD Group had a turnover in 2020 surpassing 500 MSEK with a strong growth momentum. Photowall is headquartered in Stockholm and offers a wide range of custom wallpapers and prints through its own production facilities since 2006. String Furniture is headquartered in Malmö and offers shelving and storage solutions including Nils and Kajsa Strinning’s iconic design “String”.
“We are thrilled to join NOD and together build a leading design powerhouse. We are convinced that in an ecosystem with other design brands, being able to share expertise, capabilities, and plan together, NOD will lift the potential of each partner company. Together we will revolutionize the industry”, says Pär Josefsson, co-founder of String Furniture.
NOD has appointed a seasoned Board representing collective experience ranging from design to e-commerce to support the group on its growth journey. Susanna Campbell, former CEO of Ratos and active board professional with deep E-Commerce experience, will be Chair of the Board. In addition, Mirkku Kullberg, CEO of Glasshouse Helsinki and former CEO of Artek, Paul Fischbein, active e-commerce entrepreneur, former CEO of Qliro Group and founder of tretti.se, and Magnus Dimert, e-commerce advisor and former CEO of Adlibris, will join the board.

For more information, please contact:
Tor Krusell, Head of Communications at Altor +46 705 43 87 47

Author: Katarina Karlsson
Date: 2021.03.10
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KKR and Rakuten Complete Seiyu Share Purchase from Walmart

KKR
March 1, 2021

Shareholders Officially Confirm Mr. Tsuneo Okubo as Seiyu CEO

TOKYO & BENTONVILLE, Ark.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, Rakuten, Inc., (“Rakuten”) and Walmart Inc. (“Walmart”) today announced that KKR and Rakuten subsidiary, Rakuten DX Solution, have completed their previously announced share purchases in Seiyu GK (“Seiyu” or the “Company”) from Walmart.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210228005079/en/

With the completion of the transactions, KKR owns a 65% stake in Seiyu and Rakuten DX Solution owns a 20% stake in the Company. Walmart retains a 15% stake in Seiyu. KKR is making its investment from its Asia private equity fund.

The new ownership structure enables Seiyu to take advantage of KKR, Rakuten and Walmart’s combined retail expertise and innovation, in addition to accelerating Seiyu’s digital transformation to become Japan’s leading omnichannel retailer.

KKR, Rakuten and Walmart are committed to supporting Seiyu’s growth and long-term strategy in Japan and look to build on Seiyu’s success as a local-value retailer of choice. In 2020, Seiyu achieved its highest sales and profitability levels of the last decade, with net sales growing by 5.6% to JPY785 billion1. This generated an EBITDA2 margin of nearly 5%. Over the past two consecutive fiscal years, Seiyu gained market share and improved profitability. Cumulatively over this period, Seiyu comparative-store sales grew 180 basis points faster than the market3 and EBITDA increased by nearly 40%. In addition, Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper, jointly operated by Seiyu and Rakuten, recorded a nearly 40% year-on-year increase in gross merchandise sales in the fourth quarter of 2020. With the significant increase in demand for online supermarkets in recent years, a dedicated fulfillment center began operations in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture in January 2021, and a new fulfillment center is scheduled to open in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture within the year to meet this growing demand.

Today, the shareholders additionally confirmed the appointment of Mr. Tsuneo Okubo as CEO of Seiyu to lead the Company into its next phase of development and growth, effective immediately. Mr. Okubo’s decades-long career in Japan’s retail sector includes senior roles for national supermarket chains. He brings to Seiyu a strong track record of elevating corporate strategies and performance through digital innovation, enhancing the operations of physical stores, and localizing businesses to meet the evolving needs of shoppers in communities across Japan.

Mr. Okubo said, “I am thrilled to be joining Seiyu at such an important moment in its history. Together with KKR, Rakuten and Walmart, we have a tremendous opportunity to build on Seiyu’s achievements and stature in the market to take its business to the next level of success. Looking ahead, we are excited to accelerate Seiyu’s digital transformation to better meet the evolving shopping needs of our customers while continuing to expand on strong in-store presence in communities across Japan. I want to thank my predecessor, Lionel Desclée, for his leadership, and I look forward to working with our talented team of associates to build on Seiyu’s progress to become Japan’s leading omnichannel retailer.”

About Seiyu:

Established in 1963, Seiyu is a nationwide supermarket chain in Japan with more than 300 retail units. Through its supermarket and hypermarket formats and Rakuten Seiyu Netsuper delivery service, Seiyu offers customers a broad assortment including fresh food, general merchandise, and apparel products across Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Offering Everyday Low Prices to our customers, Seiyu contributes to making their everyday life more convenient as a leading, innovative, local value retailer, now powered by KKR, Rakuten and Walmart.

About KKR:

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Rakuten:

Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses, and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.4 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 20,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.

About Rakuten DX Solution:

Rakuten DX Solution is a new Rakuten Group subsidiary established in January 2021 to support the digital transformation of brick-and-mortar retailers across Japan and to promote the merger of offline and online retail (OMO) in order to serve customers with a seamless and personalized retail experience.

About Walmart:

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 220 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart.

 


1 As of Fiscal Year 2020, ending December 31, 2020
2 EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization.
3 According to data compiled by the Japan Supermarket Association, National Supermarket Association of Japan and the All Japan Supermarket Association.

Seiyu
Corporate Affairs +813-3598-7760

KKR
KKR Asia Pacific
Anita Davis
+852 3602 7335
Anita.Davis@kkr.com

Finsbury (for KKR Japan)
Deborah Hayden, +81 70 2492 0463
Hannah Perry, +81 70 3769 9633
FinsburyKKRJapan@finsbury.com

KKR Americas
Kristi Huller, Cara Major, Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212 750-8300
Media@kkr.com

Rakuten, Inc.
Corporate Communications Department
global-pr@mail.rakuten.com

Walmart
Blake Jackson
+1 479 204-1028
blake.jackson@walmart.com

Source: KKR, Rakuten, Inc.

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HAL confirms that an Ipo of COOLBLUE is being considered

Hal Holding

 

HAL confirms that an initial public offering (IPO) of Coolblue shares on Euronext Amsterdam is currently being considered. At this stage, it is expected that the IPO may take place in 2021, depending, among other things, on conditions in the financial markets.
HAL currently has a 49% interest in Coolblue. For 2020, Coolblue reported revenues of approximately € 2 billion and an EBITDA of € 114 million (unaudited).

HAL Holding N.V.
February 11, 2021 08h05
This press release contains inside information relating to
HAL Trust within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU
Market Abuse Regulation.

This announcement is for information purposes only, does not purport to be full or complete and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction, including the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan. No reliance may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, fairness or completeness.

This announcement does not contain, constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities in the United States. Any securities mentioned herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities in the United States or to make a public offering of any securities in the United States.

The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which they are released, published or distributed, should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions.
This announcement is not an advertisement and does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1129 (as amended) and does not constitute an offer to acquire securities. If any offer to acquire securities will be made, any investor should make his investment, solely on the basis of information that will be contained in a prospectus to be made generally available in connection with such an offer. When made generally available, copies of a prospectus may be obtained at no cost from Coolblue or through the website of Coolblue. The information in this announcement is subject to change.

This announcement may include statements, including HAL Holding N.V.’s (the “Company”) financial and operational medium-term objectives that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “estimates”, “plans”, “projects”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. Forward-looking statements may and often do differ materially from actual results. Any forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company’s business, results of operations, financial position, liquidity, prospects, growth or strategies. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.

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CVC Capital Partners agrees to joint venture with Shiseido in Personal Care business

CVC Capital Partners

Aiming to maximize potential of Personal Care business and pursue further growth

CVC Capital Partners announced today that CVC Capital Partners Asia Fund V has signed a definitive agreement with Shiseido Company, Limited for the transfer of Shiseido’s Personal Care business (“the New Company”).

The New Company, in which Shiseido will hold a 35% stake and CVC Asia V will acquire 65% as a joint venture, will obtain Shiseido’s strong portfolio of established global brands, including the market-leading haircare brand TSUBAKI and skincare label SENKA.

Founded in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1872, Shiseido is a global beauty brand that operates in approximately 120 countries and regions. Shiseido is known for its nearly 150-year history of innovation and category firsts that have repeatedly set new standards for the entire beauty industry.

“We are delighted to be investing in some of Japan’s most trusted brands cultivated over the years by Shiseido. Further, we are excited to be partnering with Shiseido as we embark on this next chapter of growth,” said Atsushi Akaike, Partner and Co-Head of CVC Japan.

“Using our global network and experience, CVC is committed to making these strong brands even better. Specifically, we see significant potential for growth by investing further in employees, brands, and R&D, as well as by driving digitalization and accelerating overseas expansion, with the possibility of going public in the future,” said Yukinori Sugiyama, Partner and Co-Head of CVC Japan.

The transaction is expected to close by July 1, 2021 and is subject to customary closing conditions (closing of each overseas country and region will be executed in stages).

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Solvari acquires Buldit, a network of home improvement sites

Vortex

Nieuwegein, February 2, 2021

 

Vortex portfolio company Solvari has acquired Buldit, a Belgium based company that advises consumers on improving their homes. Buldit has a large online network with over 300 websites that consumers can go to with their questions about home improvement jobs. The company was founded in 2009 and is active in the Netherlands and Belgium.

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Bloom & Wild receives £75m investment

Piper

Bloom & Wild to become Europe’s most loved flower gifting brand with £75m investment

We are excited to announce an investment of £75m into Bloom & Wild, led by some of the world’s top investors in consumer brands, including US investor General Catalyst (Airbnb, Warby Parker and Deliveroo) and Index Ventures, who has backed the likes of Glossier, Net-A-Porter and Farfetch.

The funding will help Bloom & Wild become the number one online flower gifting brand in Europe and puts it on track for unicorn status in the coming years, disrupting Europe’s £14bn fresh cut flower market.

It’s a far cry from Aron Gelbard walking around London with a notebook and ruler, measuring thousands of letterboxes and typing them up into a spreadsheet. He used this to calculate how small a box would need to be to get through about 90% of letterboxes.

He and Ben Stanway went on to pioneer the award-winning concept of ‘letterbox flowers’, launching Bloom & Wild just seven years ago. Since then, the brand has shipped more than 8m flowers across the UK, France and Germany.

With our £11m investment just two years ago, the founders have invested heavily in technology to transform both the customer experience and the traditional supply chain. From a customer perspective, this means they not only have the best-in-class digital experience (their app is amazing), but also the best customer service and logistics. Bloom & Wild’s flowers come directly from the producers themselves, giving customers beautiful, high quality fresh flowers. The flowers are delivered in bud, so they bloom over time and last longer than other bouquets. Receivers love the surprise and delight, becoming gifters quickly in turn.

We have always taken pride in Bloom & Wild’s approach to growth, chiming closely with our own. They strongly believe in ensuring that the customer experience is as good as the product. This means ensuring technology is never a bottleneck by creating seamless and memorable digital experiences on the back of a distinctive tone of voice and visual handwriting that is an emotive shortcut to the brand’s mission.

Aron and his team have always put themselves in customers’ shoes (everyone has time manning the phones) and understand their individual needs, motivations and behaviours throughout their journey, from discovering the brand to unboxing the flowers. They are obsessive about delivering innovative products and experiences, all through the lens of what customers actually want, which involves speaking and listening to them regularly.

This has resulted in a world class NPS of 85, high word-of-mouth acquisition, repeat purchase rates and lifetime values, as well as an engaged online community of avid fans who are thankful for what they have built and who subscribe to their mission. In 2019, they offered their customers the chance to opt-out of emails about sensitive occasions (like Mother’s Day), on the back of which they invented the Thoughtful Marketing Movement that is now a community of over 130 businesses.

As a true brand legend, Bloom & Wild knows why it exists and why it does what it does – helping people ‘care wildly’ came out of a big piece of brand strategy work over the last year. This is about ‘celebrating the little things we all do for each other every day. Not just on the big occasions. It’s being there for the highs. Stepping up for the lows. Getting someone out of a rut with one simple message. Remembering those precious memories. Finding the courage to say sorry. Or silly ways to make them smile. After all, unexpected flowers really are the best kind.’

This purpose not only makes their customers’ lives better, but also has a positive impact on the world around them, future-proofing the brand as it scales. We are especially proud of its responsible supply chain. The letterbox packaging is 100% recyclable, they offset their carbon emissions, send zero waste to landfill from their warehouses and much more. All this has helped the brand to attract the highest calibre of talent that live and breathe its values.

All of this plus the new investment means that Aron’s vision for Bloom & Wild to become the world’s most loved flower gifting brand is now a step closer. We are excited about working with him on the next leg of his journey. He certainly deserves a congratulatory bouquet.

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EQT Growth makes its first investment – backs Wolt, a leading food delivery platform

eqt

  • EQT Growth invests in Wolt, a leading food delivery platform operating in 129 cities across 23 countries, as part of Wolt’s USD 530 million capital raise
  • EQT Growth joins EQT Ventures in Wolt’s capital raise – the first ever investment for Growth and Ventures’ fifth in Wolt since 2016
  • EQT Growth will, together with EQT Ventures, support Wolt on its accelerated expansion journey into new geographies and verticals

EQT is pleased to announce that EQT Growth has invested in Wolt Enterprises Oy (”Wolt” or “the Company”), a leading food delivery platform. The investment, which is the first by the EQT Growth strategy, is made through EQT AB’s balance sheet and is part of Wolt’s USD 530 million capital raise.

Wolt was established in 2014 in Helsinki, Finland by CEO Miki Kuusi who had a vision of creating a technology company that would make it easy and fun to discover great food and get it delivered directly to your home or office. Since then, Wolt has expanded rapidly and today the Company partners with over 30,000 restaurants and retail partners and 60,000 couriers in 129 cities across 23 countries. Wolt’s platform and delivery infrastructure provide great customer convenience and new revenue opportunities for both restaurants and retailers.

The transformation of food delivery into a digital service model has accelerated over the past years and the market is estimated to be worth around USD 365 billion by 2030 (according to UBS Evidence Labs’ report from June 2020). The combination of mobile app usage, connected restaurants and on-demand delivery networks have paved the way for technology platforms, such as Wolt.

The EQT Ventures I fund was one of Wolt’s first investors and led the Company’s Series A financing round in 2016 and has participated in all subsequent rounds, making the fund one of Wolt’s largest owners. Since then, the EQT platform has provided active board and operational support to the Wolt team and EQT will continue to partner with the Company on its mission to make cities better places to live and by enabling economic opportunities in local communities. Wolt offsets 100 percent of its delivery-services’ CO2 emissions and will continue the implementation of its green agenda with support from EQT’s sustainability team and global advisory network.

Johan Svanstrom, Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Partners: “EQT Growth is proud to support Wolt with both capital and competence as the company expands to new heights. Ever since EQT Ventures partnered with CEO Miki Kuusi and his team in 2016, we have seen Wolt build an incredibly effective and international growth machine with strong emphasis on responsible partnerships and great customer solutions. We believe that there are strong prospects for continued international expansion and deeper penetration in the company’s core markets.”

Miki Kuusi, CEO of Wolt: “I am happy to welcome EQT Growth as our new investor and broaden our overall partnership with EQT. We have already come a long way together and the team and I are very excited to take the Wolt platform into the next phase of expansion and innovation together with EQT.”

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with close to three decades of consistent investment performance across multiple geographies, sectors, and strategies. EQT has raised more than EUR 75 billion since inception and had as of September 30, 2020 more than EUR 46 billion in assets under management across 16 active funds within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets.

With its roots in the Wallenberg family’s entrepreneurial mindset and philosophy of long-term ownership, EQT is guided by a set of strong values and a distinct corporate culture. EQT manages and advises funds and vehicles that invest across the world with the mission to future-proof companies, generate attractive returns and make a positive impact with everything EQT does.

The EQT AB Group comprises EQT AB (publ) and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, which include general partners and fund managers of EQT funds as well as entities advising EQT funds. EQT has offices in 16 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and North America with more than 700 employees.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com

Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About Wolt
Wolt is a technology company that makes it incredibly easy to discover and get the best restaurants, grocery stores and other local shops delivered to your home or office. Wolt works together with over 30,000 restaurant and retail partners as well as with over 60,000 courier partners across 23 countries and 129 cities. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2014, employs over 2,200 people today, and is led by its co-founder and CEO Miki Kuusi. Wolt has raised $856 million in funding from investors such as EQT Ventures & EQT Growth, ICONIQ Capital, Tiger Global, DST, Prosus, KKR, Coatue, 83North, Goldman Sachs, and Highland Europe among others.

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CITIC Capital Completed its Investment in RECLASSIFIED, a Leading Chinese Prestige Perfume and Home Fragrance Brand

Citic Capital

(Hong Kong, 22 January 2021) Private equity arm of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited (“CITIC Capital”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its investment in Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd., brand owner of RECLASSIFIED (“RE” or “the Company”) via its third RMB-denominated China buyout fund on 18 January 2021. The transaction marks the eighth completed acquisitions in the beauty and lifestyle sector in recent years, and the on-going expansion of its exposure and footprint in the space.

Founded in Shanghai in 2013, RECLASSIFIED is a leading Chinese prestige perfumery house that has created a variety of iconic original scents featured in its extensive portfolio of products, including perfume, home fragrance, car fragrance, scented candles, and scented personal care products. The company runs over 100 retail outlets spanning 50 cities nationwide, offering customers extraordinary experience with scents and senses.

Mac LIN, CEO of RECLASSIFIED, said: “The name RECLASSIFIED is a combination of ‘RE’ and ‘Classified’, illustrating our determination to differentiate and refusal to be classified. Each bottle of RECLASSIFIED fragrance has its own story and a philosophy. Since its establishment, the brand has vowed to work only with world-leading perfumers and developers to create high quality, original fragrances and genuine experiences that are unique to Chinese consumers. We are committed to bridging interesting culture, upholding individuality, and expressing freedom for our consumers.”

Hanxi ZHAO, Senior Managing Director of CITIC Capital, said: “Consumers in China today have high aspiration for better lifestyle. This aspiration has stimulated the rapid development of related sectors. The growth of the perfume and fragrance sector has been particularly strong, with iconic brands such as RECLASSIFIED emerging in China. RE has a deep understanding of the needs of Chinese consumers and takes pride in its strong heritage in world-class product development. RE also has a strong offline retail network and online presence, enabling the brand to reach a broad consumer base through different channels. We are excited to be working with the young and passionate team of RECLASSIFIED and look forward to witnessing the rising of an authentic Chinese trendsetter in the perfume and fragrance sector.”

CITIC Capital believes in the long-term growth prospects of the beauty, personal care and lifestyle sector, and will continue to look for attractive investment opportunities in the sector. In addition to RECLASSIFIED, CITIC Capital’s investments in the related sector include: Erno Laszlo, a leading American premium skin care brand; Trilogy, a clean beauty brand from New Zealand; Axilone, a world-class cosmetics packaging provider; UCO, an e-commerce service provider serving premium beauty brands; ScentAir, a scent marketing solutions provider; Lifestyles/Jissbon and LELO, leading global brands in the intimate wellness sector.

Note: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Haiwen & Partners provide financial and legal advisory services to CITIC
Note: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Haiwen & Partners provide financial and legal advisory services to CITIC Capital respectively.Capital respectively.

About Shanghai Xiangmiao

Established in Shanghai in 2013, Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd.Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd. owns “REowns “RECLASSIFIEDCLASSIFIED”, a leading Chinese ”, a leading Chinese prestige perfume and home fragrance brandprestige perfume and home fragrance brand. . The brand is renowned for its perfume, home fragrance, car The brand is renowned for its perfume, home fragrance, car fragrance, scented candles, fragrance, scented candles, scented personal care products. The company currently runs more than 100 retail scented personal care products. The company currently runs more than 100 retail outlets spanning 50 cities in China.outlets spanning 50 cities in China. For details, please visitFor details, please visit www.reclassified.cnwww.reclassified.cn

About CITIC Capital
Founded in 2002, CITIC Capital is an alternative investment management and advisory company. The firm manages over USD32 billion of capital across 100 funds and investment products through its multi-asset class platform covering private equity, real estate, structured investment & finance, and asset management. CITIC Capital has over 200 portfolio companies that span 11 sectors and employ over 800,000 people around the world.
CITIC Capital’s private equity arm focuses on control buyout opportunities globally and has completed over 79 investments in the past years in China, Japan, U.S. and Europe. The private equity arm currently manages USD7.6 billion of committed capital. For more information, please visit www.citiccapital.com.

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Cindy TAM Director, Corporate Relations CITIC Capital Holdings Limited Tel: +852 3710 6813 cindytam@citiccapital.com
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Nordic Surface Group acquires MPA Måleri

Litorina

Nordic Surface Group (NSG) continues its expansion through a partnership with MPA Måleri AB. With the acquisition, NSG strengthens its position in the surface service market around Västerås and Mälardalen. MPA Måleri AB was founded in 1986 and has about 35 employees.

MPA-1

We welcome MPA Måleri AB and strengthen our position in Mälardalen with high competence. MPA has always been the preferred choice for us in the region. With this acquisition, we take further steps towards our goal of becoming the leading surface service provider in Sweden.” says Jonas Danielsson, CEO of Nordic Surface Group.

For further information, please contact:

Jonas Danielsson, +46 70 910 76 34, CEO, Nordic Surface Group

Nordic Surface Group, formed in 2020, is the second largest surface service provider in Sweden. The group has sales of SEK 1 billion and employs more than 800 people in southern Sweden, Stockholm and Mälardalen. Today’s group consists of Stoby Måleri (founded in 1969, based in Hässleholm), Ekbladhs Måleri (founded in 1967, based in Landskrona), Bruske Måleri (founded in 1936, based in Stockholm), Målerimetoder (founded in 1984, based in Stockholm, Vaksala Måleri (founded in 2006, based in Uppsala), B Krafft Måleri (more than 100 years of history, based in Örebro) and MPA Måleri (founded in 1986, based in Västerås).

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