BGF has today announced the exit of its minority investment in Chase Distillery, the owner of Chase GB Gin and the award-winning Chase Original Potato Vodka, after Diageo announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the spirits portfolio.

The BGF Midlands team originally acquired a minority stake in the business in 2017. The investment was used to support the company’s clear vision of building a globally recognised brand.

Headquartered in Hereford, Chase Distillery is an award-winning, family-owned business that produces sustainable spirits. Founded by entrepreneur William Chase, sustainability and a relentless focus on quality are at the heart of everything the Chase Distillery does. The spirits portfolio is distilled from scratch using British-grown potatoes, apples and all-natural botanicals on the Chase Farm.

Over the last three years, Chase has expanded its global presence in the US, Australia and the UAE. Chase Original Potato Vodka is now served at some of the world’s top bars, as well as sold online and in major shops across Europe.

BGF is also an investor in Warwickshire based Purity Brewing, having backed the business in 2018 with £7.5m growth capital; Cheltenham based Off Piste Wines, which received BGF investment of £8m in 2019 and Renegade Spirits, owner of Waterford Distillery located in the south east of Ireland.

Gurinder Sunner, head of BGF’s Midlands office, said: “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with William and the wider team at Chase Distillery. As a British, family-owned business, they have developed a premium product and brand that resonates with its consumers and have been steadfast in their vision for the future.

“The business understands the necessity of quality and care in crafting high-end spirits in a competitive market and our investment has helped to facilitate growth – both in the UK and internationally.”

Andrew Carter, Managing Director at Chase Distillery, said: “We’re excited to be joining the Diageo family. We’ve grown rapidly over the last three years and this acquisition marks the next step on the journey of the brand.

“BGF’s investment played a key role in getting us to this position. They’ve been a supportive backer and their help and expertise has helped to guide the team as we’ve grown internationally and expanded our market reach.”

 The acquisition is expected to close in early 2021 subject to regulatory clearances.

Amsterdam and Almere, October 22, 2020 – Nordian Capital and J-Club International, European market leader in private label fashion jewelry, accessories and greeting cards, have completed their transaction. The management of J-Club and the team of Nordian Capital have set aside their previous dispute about financing conditions and jointly focus on the future. Nordian has acquired the majority of the shares of J-Club. With the completion of this acquisition, J-Club and Nordian will focus on executing the joint investment strategy which consist of international growth and expanding services to retailers with additional product categories.

With this transaction, all minority shareholders have sold their shares. The founders will remain important shareholders and will fully focus on the next phase of growth of J-Club. The transaction has been completed after Nordian and J-Club were able to secure external financing on favorable terms for all involved, with the help of the Dutch parties Rabobank, DMF and FundIQ. Joost Verbeek, Managing Partner Nordian Capital: “We are pleased that we can leave a difficult acquisition process behind us and now focus on the growth of J-Club. We have great confidence in the business model of J-Club and we strongly believe that together with its management we can continue to grow the business both domestically as well as internationally. The current turbulent times are difficult for all types of companies, but we are confident that once we return to a normal society, J-Club will be stronger and will emerge as a winner. Together with management of J-Club – we are going to work hard to achieve this.”

National and international growth
J-Club now looks to the future with great confidence. Sjoerd Everts, co-founder: “This acquisition enables us to jointly pursue with the investment strategy: growth by accelerating our international expansion on the one hand and expanding our business model, the full-service for retailers of the J-Club portfolio, to other product categories such as for example winter accessories and hair fashion. ”

Marcel van Doorn, co-founder of J-Club: “It is good that we have concluded all discussions and are working together on creating a bright future for J-Club. Ultimately, we can say that, after this sometimes difficult phase, the relationships are now back to the level they were at the beginning of this year, when we first decided to work together, and we all realize there are plenty of opportunities. We are currently expanding strongly within national and international retail chains. They see the J-Club business model as a very attractive addition to their own product range and operation.”

About Nordian Capital
Nordian Capital (Nordian.nl) is an independent Dutch private equity investor, focused on increasing and accelerating the growth of companies. Founded in 2014, Nordian has now contributed to more than 30 companies as a critical and committed investment partner. Nordian Capital offers proactive support in the areas of strategy, financing or mergers & acquisitions. Nordian actively supports and assists the management of its companies, so that the entrepreneurs can continue to do what they do best: growing their business.

About J-Club International
J-Club International (J-Club.com) is the European market leader in private label fashion jewelry, accessories and greeting cards through its shop-in-shop concept. Founded in 2010, more than 1,200 employees provide the product range in more than 12,500 stores for over 40 retailers in 25 EU countries. Together with its retail partners, J-Club works towards only one common goal: loyal and satisfied customers.

The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market, has invested in Geroline Inc., a virtual manufacturer of footwear traction aids serving diverse industrial end-markets in Canada and the United States. Geroline is an add-on to Riverside’s SureWerx platform, a leading supplier of professional safety products, tools and equipment.

Geroline has transformed the ice cleat market over the last five years. Under the K1 brand, the company developed a unique ‘twist’ to the traction aid industry by providing a mid-sole ice cleat that can be easily rotated from the sole to the top of the footwear for easy outdoor to indoor or outdoor to in-vehicle transitions. Geroline also provides mid-sole traction aids that are certified Intrinsically Safe for use in hazardous and flammable environments. The simple yet effective nature of this product is revolutionizing the traction aid industry for every type of professional worker.

“We’re excited to work with the Geroline team and build upon its already-proven product line,” said Riverside Partner Brad Roberts. “This investment is the next step in our strategy to build SureWerx into the leading provider of innovative, proprietary safety brands that are highly sought after by end-users and distributors alike.”

Geroline is SureWerx’s fourth add-on since Riverside acquired the platform in November 2018. Riverside is actively supporting SureWerx’s efforts to add complementary new products and categories and deliver best-in-class service to its growing, global network of loyal distributors and end-users.

“Under our platform umbrella, we plan to introduce Geroline’s superior mid-sole traction aids into the SureWerx sales engine to drive additional growth,” said Riverside Principal Constantine Elefter. “Geroline represents an opportunity for SureWerx to take a strong, niche brand and expand its reach into its broad distribution network.”

This is one more example of Riverside’s dedication to a broad range of specialty manufacturing and distribution companies and a growing commitment to businesses focused on workplace and employee health and safety. Working closely with management, Riverside fosters growth through a unified approach that pairs investment expertise with Riverside’s global resources.

“Adding K1 to our growing world-class portfolio of SureWerx brands continues to propel us toward our goal of becoming the global leader in safety and productivity,” said SureWerx Chief Executive Officer Chris Baby. “As the dominant mid-sole brand, K1 is highly complementary to our Due North portfolio, which enjoys a leadership position in full-coverage ice cleats. Combined, SureWerx now offers the best one-two punch in the slip protection market.”

Geroline’s K1 Series joins the SureWerx family of highly respected safety brands including Due North®, Jackson Safety®, Wilson®, Sellstrom®, Pioneer®, KneePro®, PeakWorks® and ADA Solutions®.

Working with Roberts and Elefter on the deal were Senior Associate Tom Wyza, Associate Max Simon, Operating Partner Eric Nowlin and Operating Finance Executive Kyle Morse. Partner Anne Hayes helped secure financing for the transaction.

Golub Capital provided debt financing for the deal. Jones Day and Alvarez & Marsal supported the transaction as the legal counsel and accounting advisor, respectively. Aramar Capital Group acted as the financial advisor to Geroline.

Holly Mueller Consultant, Global Marketing and Communications Cleveland +1 216 535 2236

7 October, 2020

Sandbäckens continues its growth journey and strengthens its position in an additional strategic location, Västervik, through the acquisition of Rörbolaget M Söderkvist AB. The purchase agreement was signed on the 5^th of October 2020.

Rörbolaget M Söderkvist AB was founded in 2004 by Mats Söderkvist, who has previously been active in companies such as Calor Celsius and BPA in Sweden and Germany. The Company has a strong market position and is today a full-service heating and sanitation partner to both companies and private individuals in Västervik and the surrounding area.

“I look forward to seeing Rörbolaget and my coworkers getting the opportunity to develop within Sandbäckens. Rörbolaget will continue to be a local, safe and flexible heating and sanitation partner here in Västervik, while at the same time gaining access to increased resources and being able to broaden our offering to the market” says Mats Söderkvist, CEO, Rörbolaget.

 ”I welcome Mats and the team at Rörbolaget to Sandbäckens. I eagerly anticipate following the Company’s continued development within the framework of Sandbäckens business model, as a subsidiary under the leadership of Mats as CEO and part-owner” says Mats Åström, Group CEO, Sandbäckens.

For further information, please visit www.sandbackens.se or contact:

Marcus Planting-Bergloo, Managing Partner, Segulah Advisor AB
+46 70 229 11 85, planting@segulah.se

Torbjörn Carlsson, Regional Manager South, Sandbäckens
+46 70 322 13 00, torbjorn.carlsson@sandbackens.se

Bluegem is pleased to announce that it has signed the acquisition of the Béaba Group, owner of the Béaba and Red Castle brands, from Bridgepoint, Indigo and Société Cantilienne de Participations.

Since 1989, the French brand Béaba has accompanied parents at all moments of their baby’s life with high-quality, innovative and simple to use products, such as the brand’s hero product, the Babycook.

After conducting a capital and financial restructuring of the Béaba Group in 2017, Bridgepoint entrusted the Group’s chairmanship to Julien Laporte to accelerate Béaba’s transformation. Since then, the former member of Danone and L’Oréal has worked hand in hand with Bridgepoint to roll out a new strategic plan based on three main strategic axes:

• Innovation, with the release in early 2019 of a new “Made in France” version of its iconic product, the Babycook (the “Neo”), in parallel with the launch of 30 other new products.

• Béaba’s positioning as a multichannel player: the Group has readjusted and optimised its digital identity, and has strongly increased its direct sales via its BtoC website (Béaba sales tripled in one year).

• Acceleration of the Group’s international development to leverage on fast growing markets, particularly in Asia and the United States (leading to a sales growth of more than 20% per year in North America), after reorganising and resuming direct distribution in Germany (doubling of sales) and in Benelux. In early 2020, the Group took over direct control of its Chinese operations through a joint venture agreement with its local distributor.

Bolstered by the Group’s very strong sales in spite of Covid-19 turbulence, Bridgepoint gave Clearwater International a divestiture mandate in early summer 2020. In a context that witnessed strong interest from both strategic and financial investors, Bluegem pre-empted the sales process by submitting a firm offer in early September 2020.

Bluegem and the management team intend to pursue the Group’s current growth strategy and plan to make Béaba a European leader in the childcare sector.

With its strong track record in European consumer brands, Bluegem will support the management team on several strategic projects, including:

• The internationalisation of the Béaba brand, particularly in the United States, Asia-Pacific, Germany and the United Kingdom (where Bluegem holds another major player in the childcare sector: Mamas & Papas).

• Continued efforts to digitise the Group.

• Launch of new flagship products for the Group.

• Ramping up critical mass race through bolt-on acquisitions, particularly abroad.

Julien Laporte, CEO of the Béaba Group, explains: “We are grateful for Bridgepoint’s strong support in recent years. We are very pleased to start this new phase of development with Bluegem, which will allow us to accelerate our international growth and product innovations.”

Mathieu Develay, Head of Operations in France for Bluegem, continues: “We are delighted to be able to partner with Julien Laporte and his team in this new growth phase for Béaba. This investment fits perfectly with Bluegem III’s strategy, namely, to support strong and innovative brands in consumer goods, which have a growing international presence and a significant share of their sales online.”

Olivier Nemsguern, Managing Partner of BDC in France, declares: “This exit is a great success and is the recognition of BDC’s efforts and support for this unique brand. We are delighted with this passing of the torch, which demonstrates the relevance of the Group’s strategy, which we have supported alongside Management for several years.”

Stakeholders and advisors

Bridgepoint (Olivier Nemsguern, Louis Paul-Dauphin) was advised by Clearwater International (Philippe Guézenec, Matthias Krimmel, Alexis Vernay), PwC (Stéphane Salustro, Maxence Pleynet) and Racine Avocats (Mélanie Coiraton, Elena Pintea-Pouchkine).

BlueGem (Marco Capello, Mathieu Develay) was advised by Oaklins France (Thibaut de Monclin, Hadrien Mollard), Alvarez & Marsal (Jonathan Gibbons), Baker & McKenzie (David Allen, Antoine Caillard), Arsene Taxand (Alexandre Rocchi), Marlborough Partners (Romain Cattet) and Willkie Farr (Paul Lombard).

Bank financing will be provided by Oldenburgische Landesbank Aktiengesellschaft (“OLB”).

About Béaba Group

Béaba Group, created in 1989 with the invention of the Babycook, is one of the leaders in small childcare items and generates a turnover of nearly €50 million, half of which is international.

With more than a hundred employees, mostly based in France at Béaba’s historic site inOyonnax (Ain), the Group designs, develops and markets innovative and easy-to-use products to aid parents. With offices in several European countries as well as in Hong Kong, the United States and China, Béaba Group is particularly focused on international development.

Thanks to its flagship products, Béaba is a reference brand in the childcare sector.

www.beaba.com

About Bluegem Capital Partners

Bluegem Capital Partners is a London-based pan-European, mid-market private equity manager, established in 2007. It focuses on consumer businesses across all verticals

Bluegem specialises in supporting leading European brands in the consumer goods sector. Its second fund holds investments in Mamas & Papas (childcare), Iconic London (makeup), QMS (cosmetics), Dr. Vranjes (indoor perfumery)and others.

Béaba is Bluegem’s third investment in France after DMC in 2016 (world leader in embroidery thread, stake sold to Lion Capital in 2019) and Big Fernand in 2017 (gourmet burgers).

Bluegem is currently investing its third fund.

www.bluegemcp.com

About Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC)

In France, the smid-cap activity of the international private equity group Bridgepoint includes:

– Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) whose portfolio consists of 5 companies: Anaveo (acquired in December 2015), CIR (acquired in October 2017), PrivateSportShop (acquired in July 2018), Bee2Link (acquired in February 2019) and Cyrus (acquired in 2020).

– Bridgepoint Portfolio Services (BPS), which took over 13 holding companies from EdRCP in summer 2014 and now includes Sotralu.

Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC), with a team of 28 professionals in Europe (including 9 in Paris), is now one of the few investors in smid-cap able to support midcaps in their international development thanks to the support of Bridgepoint’s nine investment offices and its operational teams based in New York, San Francisco and Shanghai.

Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) specializes in smid-cap transactions, investing equity tickets between €30 and €130 million.

Its fourth fund, BDC IV, worth €1.7 billion was raised in 2020. Its previous fund, BDC III, with €670 million raised in 2016, is approaching the end of its investment period, with 80% of the fund already invested in 12 assets.

www.bridgepoint.eu

Press contacts:

For Beaba Group:

Anita Jean / anita.jean@beaba.com / +33 (0)4 74 12 03 51

For Bluegem Capital Partners:

Mathieu Develay / m.develay@bluegemcp.com / +44 (0)784 134 0204

For Bridgepoint Development Capital:

CTCom : Sibylle Descamps / sibylle.descamps@ct-com.com / +33 (0)6 82 09 70 07

Image 7 : Charlotte Mouraret / cmouraret@image7.fr / +33 (0)6 89 87 62 17