riton to acquire Corendon through Sunweb

Triton

Stockholm (Sweden) / Amsterdam (Netherlands) 03 June 2019 –Triton is to acquire the tour operating activities of Corendon Holiday Group (Corendon) through Sunweb Group (Sunweb), a Triton Fund V portfolio company. Final agreement is still subject to regulatory approvals and to employee consultation procedures. Terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Corendon is a leading tour operator group in the Netherlands and Belgium. Founded in 2000, it creates fully integrated holiday experiences for more than 750,000 customers with a EUR 515m turnover. When completed, the acquisition will merge Sunweb and Corendon into a joint company under Triton´s support taking advantage of enhanced scale, financial strength, innovation culture, a larger client base and airline capacity.

– The value chain in travel is changing, and Corendon has proven that its position and business model is resilient and winning in this complex environment. The entrepreneurial DNA and the shared mission of both Sunweb and Corendon to deliver the best possible holiday experience for customers will make sure that we will keep on expanding our position in the European travel market. As owners we strive to maintain and preserve the cultures of both Corendon and Sunweb to provide a great place to work. The combination will also provide a strong platform to continue investing in innovation, sustainable travel and digitalization to deliver a superior customer experience and exceed the expectations of the future traveler,” said Per Agebäck, Investment Advisory Professional, Sector Leader for Consumer and advisor to the Triton Funds.

The agreement between Sunweb and Corendon consists of the Corendon tour operating activities in Holland and Belgium, the back-office operations in Turkey and Corendon Dutch Airlines. It also includes Corendon´s brands Karin’s Choice, Maris Life, Stip, and GOfun. The Turkish and European airline and the hotels of Corendon Hotels & Resorts are not part of the transaction.

While leveraging the operational synergies by merging under one company and ownership, Sunweb and Corendon will keep their current brands and organizational structures

– The merger of Sunweb and Corendon is a natural and logical step. For the last years, both Sunweb and Corendon have managed to stay ahead as competitors in an ever-changing travel industry. A key driver for the continued growth and development has not only been the strong product offering but also the digitalisation of both brands. We will continue our ambitious growth agenda, focusing on selecting best-in-breed technology and processes and making significant investments in innovations in order to maintain our competitive advantage in an increasingly digital-first world, said Gert de Caluwe, CEO of Sunweb Group.

About Sunweb Group

Sunweb Group is one of the leading travel groups in Europe. It is the driving force behind numerous brands operating within eight international markets: The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Sunweb is the flagship brand of the group.

Sunweb is a pure online player for package holidays towards sun and winter sport destinations. Sunweb Group employs approximately 500 individuals and sends more than 400 representatives on to various holiday destinations to support its customers.

The Sunweb Group has a pan-European identity: headquarters in Netherlands and Switzerland, software and web development in Girona and various sales offices around Europe. The combination of a centralized organization, unique self-contracted hotel and flight inventory and a strong online business model has resulted in one million happy clients for Sunweb Group last year. Sunweb Group was acquired by Triton Fund V in February 2019.

About Triton

Since its establishment in 1997, Triton has sponsored nine funds, focusing on businesses in the industrial, business services, consumer and health sectors.

The Triton funds invest in and support the positive development of medium-sized businesses headquartered in Europe. Triton seeks to contribute to the building of better businesses for the longer term. Triton and its executives wish to be agents of positive change towards sustainable operational improvements and growth.

The 38 companies currently in Triton’s portfolio have combined sales of around €14.9billion and around 72,000 employees.

Press Contacts

Triton
Fredrik Hazén

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Travelport Worldwide Limited announces completion of acquisition by affiliates of Siris Capital Group, LLC and Evergreen Coast Capital Corp.

Siris

Langley, U.K., May 30, 2019: Travelport Worldwide Limited (“Travelport” or the “Company”), a leading travel technology company, announced today the completion of its acquisition by affiliates of Siris Capital Group, LLC (“Siris”) and Evergreen Coast Capital Corp. (“Evergreen”) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4.4 billion.

The transaction, which was originally announced on December 10, 2018, was approved by Travelport’s shareholders on March 15, 2019. In connection with the closing of the transaction, the Company, which will continue to operate as Travelport Worldwide Limited, will be wholly owned by affiliates of Siris and Evergreen, and Travelport’s common shares will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

The Board of Directors of the new Travelport operating company will be led by Executive Chairman John Swainson, a Siris executive partner and a former executive at IBM Corporation, CA, Inc. (formerly Computer Associates) and the Dell Software group.

Commenting on the transaction closing, John Swainson said: “Through its best-in-class distribution capabilities, technology services, innovative payment solutions, and other value-additive digital tools for the global travel industry, Travelport is well positioned to deploy its global scale and local expertise to deliver key solutions for travel suppliers and agencies. With the combined support of Siris and Evergreen, I look forward to partnering with management to drive new opportunities for innovation and growth.”

Gordon Wilson, President and CEO of Travelport, commented: “We have commenced building a great relationship with the Siris and Evergreen teams. We now look forward to working closely alongside them as we continue to develop and invest in our platform to serve the evolving needs of our customers. We are confident that Siris’ and Evergreen’s support will enable Travelport to execute on its strategy in an exciting new phase of innovation and industry leadership.”

About Travelport (www.travelport.com)

Travelport is the technology company which makes the experience of buying and managing travel continually better. It operates a travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. The company facilitates travel commerce by connecting the world’s leading travel providers with online and offline travel buyers in a proprietary business-to-business (B2B) travel platform.

Travelport has a leading position in airline merchandising, hotel content and distribution, car rental, mobile commerce and B2B payment solutions. The company also provides IT services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control and other solutions. With net revenue of over $2.5 billion in 2018, Travelport is headquartered in Langley, U.K., has over 3,700 employees and is represented in approximately 180 countries and territories.

About Siris

Siris is a leading private equity firm that invests primarily in mature technology and telecommunications companies with mission-critical products and services, facing industry changes or other significant transitions.  Siris’ development of proprietary research to identify opportunities and its extensive collaboration with its executive partners are integral to its approach.  Siris’ executive partners are experienced senior operating executives that actively participate in key aspects of the transaction lifecycle to help identify opportunities and drive strategic and operational value.  Siris is based in New York and Silicon Valley and has raised nearly $6 billion in cumulative capital commitments. www.siris.com

About Elliott and Evergreen

Elliott Management Corporation manages two multi-strategy investment funds which combined have more than $34 billion of assets under management. Its flagship fund, Elliott Associates, L.P., was founded in 1977, making it one of the oldest funds of its kind under continuous management. The Elliott funds’ investors include pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, funds-of-funds, high net worth individuals and families, and employees of the firm. This investment has been led by Evergreen Coast Capital, Elliott’s Menlo Park affiliate, which focuses on technology investing.

Travelport Media Contact:

Julian Eccles
VP PR and Communications
Tel: +44 (0)7720 409374
julian.eccles@travelport.com

Travelport Investor Relations contact:

Peter Russell
Head of Treasury and Investor Relations
Tel: +44 (0)1753 288 248
peter.russell@travelport.com

Siris:

Dana Gorman
Managing Director, Abernathy MacGregor
Tel: +1 212 371 5999
dtg@abmac.com

Blair Hennessy
Senior Vice President, Abernathy MacGregor
Tel: +1 212 371 5999
bth@abmac.com

Elliott/Evergreen:

Stephen Spruiell
Tel: +1 212 478 2017
sspruiell@elliottmgmt.com


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Aurelius subsidiary GHOTEL Hotel & Living opens Hotel in OSNABRÜCK

Aurelius Capital

  • GHOTEL will operate the hotel under the Holiday Inn brand name
  • 30th Holiday Inn in Germany

Munich, May 29, 2019 – Hotel operator GHOTEL hotel & living (www.ghotel.de), a subsidiary of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8), has opened a modern 4-star Holiday Inn hotel in Osnabrück, Germany. The hotel is operated under franchise for the InterContinental Hotels Group under the Holiday Inn brand, and is the 30th Holiday Inn in Germany. The new hotel is centrally located, close to the Osnabrück main railway station and just 33 kilometers from the Münster/Osnabrück airport. This four-star property has 158 modern guest rooms, three professionally fitted-out conference rooms and a spa area.

Mario Maxeiner, Managing Director Northern Europe, said: “Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are strong brands in the midscale segment that are tremendous growth drivers for us, not just here in Germany, but Europe-wide. The two brands are so successful because we continually work to make them ever more attractive, for guests as well as owners. With the GHOTEL Group we are delighted to have another strong partner who is as committed to the Holiday Inn brand as we are.”

Jens Lehmann, CEO of the GHOTEL Group, added: “The Osnabrück Holiday Inn fits perfectly in our portfolio. With this property we are continuing our growth course and strengthening our partnership with IHG.”

 

ABOUT GHOTEL

GHOTEL hotel & living is an expanding hotel and apartment building chain with 14 properties in several cities in Germany including Kiel, Hanover, Göttingen, Koblenz, Munich, Würzburg, Essen, Ludwigsburg and Neckarsulm. These business hotels with modern conference rooms are marketed under the GHOTEL hotel & living and nestor Hotels brands, and the franchise brands Accor and InterContinental Hotels Group. Under the GHOTEL living brand, GHOTEL hotel & living also operates “temporary residence” apartment buildings in Bonn and Munich. GHOTEL hotel & living is headquartered in Bonn, and since December 2006 has belonged to the AURELIUS Group.

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CapMan Buyout has sold shares in Harvia Plc

CapMan Buyout X Fund A L.P and CapMan Buyout X Fund B Ky (together the “funds managed by CapMan”) have sold part of their shares in Harvia Plc (”Harvia” or the ”Company”) in an accelerated book-building to a limited number of institutional investors (the ”Share Sale”). The funds managed by CapMan sold a total of 12.3 per cent of the shares and votes in the Company. The subscription price in the Share Sale was set at EUR 6.00 per share and the gross sales proceeds amounted to approximately EUR 13.8 million. After the Share Sale, the funds managed by CapMan own 12.3 per cent of the shares in the Company.

In connection with the Share Sale, the funds managed by CapMan have entered into a lock-up undertaking, under which they have, subject to certain exceptions, agreed not to sell any shares in Harvia for a period ending May 7, 2019.

Pia Kåll, Managing Partner of CapMan Buyout, comments: “CapMan has supported Harvia through a number of important milestones and will continue with a 12.3 per cent stake. Following our investment in 2014, together with the management we developed and implemented a new growth strategy for the company, as a result of which Harvia is one of the leading sauna and spa companies in the world. This is an excellent basis for both current and new owners to continue from.”

Danske Bank A/S, Finland Branch acted as the Sole Lead Manager in the Share Sale.

Further information:
Pia Kåll, Managing Partner, CapMan Buyout, +358 207 207 555

Disclaimer
Danske Bank acted exclusively for the funds managed by CapMan and no one else and it will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this release) as their respective client in relation to the Share Sale. Danske Bank will not be responsible to anyone other than the funds managed by CapMan for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients and will not give advice in relation to the Share Sale or any transaction or arrangement referred to herein. Danske Bank assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or verification of the information set forth in this release and, accordingly, disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all liability which they may otherwise be found to have in respect of this release. Nothing contained in this release is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation as to the past or the future.

The information contained herein is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore or South Africa or any other country where such publication or distribution would be unlawful. This release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in any country. The securities mentioned herein have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder.

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate assets and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the past 30 years. CapMan employs today approximately 120 private equity professionals and has over €3 billion in assets under management. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. We also have a growing service business that currently includes procurement services, fundraising advisory and fund management services. www.capman.com

 

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3i supports merger of International Cruise & Excursions and SOR Technology

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3I

3i Group plc (“3i”) announced today that International Cruise & Excursion (“ICE”), a global provider of technology-based, travel-related loyalty solutions in which 3i invested in June 2018, is merging with SOR Technology (“SOR”). As part of the transaction, 3i is investing an additional $24m of equity in ICE.

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Schneider and Elliot Springer, SOR has developed a web-based travel technology platform that can be customised to the needs of its clients and users.  The platform was built to showcase travel inventory from worldwide travel suppliers, providing end user customers access to substantial savings on hotels, resorts, cruises, vacation homes, car rentals, flights and leisure activities.  The SOR platform services B2B clients and consumers worldwide and is available in 17 languages and 44 currencies.

Both ICE and SOR are committed to providing innovative technology-based loyalty and reward solutions for the delivery of travel and leisure.  The combination of the two companies will provide valuable enhancements to their global network of travel suppliers, their B2B partners and their customers globally.  John Rowley, will remain as CEO of the combined enterprise.  Kevin Schneider and Elliot Springer will join ICE’s senior leadership team and become shareholders in the business.

John Rowley, CEO and co-founder of ICE, commented:

“Our partnership with SOR will improve our ability to offer our brand partners and their members functionality to browse and book travel in 17 languages and 44 currencies. As a combined enterprise, we will be better positioned to serve the members of our respective B2B customers on a global basis, while greatly accelerating ICE’s ability to grow and support international markets.”

Kevin Schneider, CEO and co-founder of SOR, commented:

“Combining ICE’s global scale, strong service capabilities and expertise in cruise and lifestyle products with SOR’s customizable travel platform and expertise in hotel bookings will enable us to offer our customers a complete travel and loyalty solution, including the greatest savings across all travel and leisure offerings. Elliot and I are excited to join the ICE leadership team to drive our combined business and accelerate the next phase of its growth.”

Andrew Olinick, Partner, 3i Private Equity, added:

“ICE and SOR have highly complementary strengths in cruise and hotel bookings, respectively. The addition of SOR augments ICE’s hotel platform capabilities, including strong international market support, further improving its growth prospects while diversifying its client base and revenue model. SOR has a strong management team led by the two founders and we are excited to work with them on the future development and integration of the two companies.”

-ENDS-

Download this press release   

 

For further information, contact:

3i Group plc

 

Silvia Santoro

Investor enquiries

 

Kathryn van der Kroft

Media enquiries

 

 

 

Tel: +44 20 7975 3258

Email: silvia.santoro@3i.com

 

Tel: +44 20 7975 3021

Email: kathryn.vanderkroft@3i.com

 

 

Notes to editors:

 

About 3i Group

3i is a leading international investment manager focused on mid-market private equity and infrastructure. Its core investment markets are northern Europe and North America. For further information, please visit: www.3i.com.

 

About ICE

International Cruise & Excursion, Inc. (ICE) is a leading international leisure travel and lifestyle benefits organisation with a global network of premier corporate, leisure and affinity-based alliance partners.

ICE is a market maker and global provider of travel, leisure-based loyalty and reward programmes. Leveraging the innate power and appeal of vacations and unique leisure-related products and services, ICE provides travel-based benefit programmes to millions of consumers, with scalable travel and loyalty solutions for some of the world’s most respected brands. ICE is unmatched in delivering travel, leisure and lifestyle products and services through powerful marketing and technology solutions. ICE creates and manages customised B2B2C and B2C vacation and leisurecentric programmes, supported in more than 21 languages, from nine global offices in the US, UK, Europe, India, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

Cruise_63404470.jpg

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DIF acquires Spanish hospital

DIF

Madrid, 5 February 2019 – DIF is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the Infanta Leonor Hospital in Spain located in the Vallecas district, southeast of Madrid. DIF Infrastructure V acquired the interest from Pralesa Concesiones and three other minority shareholders.

The project consists of the construction, maintenance and operation of the non-medical services of the Infanta Leonor Hospital which operates under an availability based payment scheme granted by the Community of Madrid. The hospital started operations in 2007 and the concession will run until 2035.

Infanta Leonor Hospital is one of the primary hospitals in the Madrid region, with a surface area of ca. 85,000 sqm and over 200 beds, providing services to a population of over 300,000 patients.

Fernando Moreno, DIF Partner and Head of Spain, added: “DIF is very pleased to have closed this acquisition. We are looking forward to working together with all stakeholders involved in the hospital to provide excellent services to the community of Vallecas. We believe this high quality project fits our existing Spanish portfolio very well and will deliver a stable yield to our investors”.

In this acquisition, DIF was advised by PwC (Financial), Jacobs (Technical), Garrigues (Tax) and Herbert Smith Freehills (Legal).

About DIF
DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
  • DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has a team of over 115 professionals, based in eight offices located in Schiphol (the Netherlands), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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AURELIUS subsidiary GHOTEL hotel & living to open new hotel in Munich

Aurelius Capital

  • New hotel to be operated as a franchisee for AccorHotels in Munich
  • Fifth AccorHotels location to open in 2022
  • GHOTEL to continue its successful expansion at a rapid pace in 2019

Munich / Bonn, January 29, 2019 – The GHOTEL Group (www.ghotel.de), a subsidiary of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8), will open another hotel in Munich-Neuperlach as a franchise partner of AccorHotels. Thus, the successful collaboration with AccorHotels continues with the fifth jointly operated location. The hotel will have 172 rooms on five floors and will be marketed in the 3-star segment under the brand name ibis Styles. The opening of the newly built hotel is planned for 2022.

The new hotel will be conveniently located close to the subway line and across from the well-known shopping center “PEP Einkaufscenter Neuperlach.” It will be built in the middle of an attractive neighborhood of office buildings within easy reach of the Munich Exhibition Center. The lessor is the project development company CONCRETE Capital in a joint venture with BHB Bauträger GmbH Bayern. The hotel development is part of the “New Neuperlach Center” project, featuring a usage mix ranging from local supply and services, rental and student apartments to top-quality restaurants.

“We are expanding our portfolio in Munich with this new hotel to be operated under the ibis Styles brand. Beginning in 2022, the new hotel in München-Neuperlach will complement the two existing GHOTEL hotel & living locations in “Munich City” and “Munich-Nymphenburg,” which we have operated for many years. At the same time, we are deepening our successful partnership with AccorHotels. This is already the fifth project we will realize with Accor within a short period of time,” says Jens Lehmann, Managing Director of the GHOTEL Group.

Franchise agreements for two hotels to be operated at Düsseldorf Airport under the Novotel and ibis brands were signed in November 2017. The opening of these hotels is planned for 2020. In addition, franchise agreements for two new hotels in Bayreuth were signed with AccorHotels in mid-2018. These are expected to open in late 2019. With the latest contract signing, the GHOTEL Group has again positioned itself as an attractive franchise partner for the AccorHotels international hotel group.

The expansion of the GHOTEL Group will continue at a rapid pace in the current year as well.

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ucandoo makes vacationing easily affordable

BM-T

The finTech-company, ucandoo, is revolutionizing the market for travel financing

Erfurt, Germany based ucandoo raised a single-digit million investment from lead-investor bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh and Alpanekino Ltd. ucandoo is a fintech start-up that has developed a platform to make financing travel hassle-free. Experts estimate that today 25 percent of all travel is financed, and the market is growing strongly.

ucandoo´s platform replaces the current cumbersome path via banks and unites the largely separate worlds of travel booking and travel financing.

Customers can now decide in a travel agency if they would like to pay for travel in the conventional manner or with a credit financing with a maximum 12-month duration and a fair interest rate. With only a few data inputs, ucandoo´s partner bank performs an instant creditworthiness check and delivers a financing decision. The service is simple and transparent for the customer and saves significant time spent filling out paperwork at a bank, and, importantly, allows for the time-shifting of payment for travel.

Ucandoo Makes Vacationing Easily Affordable

ucandoo is first launching its platform for physical travel agencies and will then address the online market in a second phase. In Germany, for example, over 60% of leisure travel is still booked with physical travel agencies. ucandoo has already won the largest travel-coop in Europe, Raiffeisen-Touristikgruppe, with 7,000 travel agencies in Germany, Austria, Belgian, Holland, and Luxemburg as a key partner. The service will be successively rolled out in Raiffeisen-Touristikgruppe travel agencies throughout 2019. “The product should allow people to take trips that they previously could not have afforded,” explained shareholder and manager Julien Bahadir. Mr. Bahadir also believes the availability of easy financing will result in the booking of higher-end travel. “This investment will allow us to sustainably change the market for financed travel,” he added.

We strengthen Thüringen´s Economy through targeted investments in innovative growth companies with high potential,” said Kevin Reeder, CEO of bm|t beteiligungsmanagement gmbh. “We believe in the ucandoo team and that they will significantly contribute to the travel market. The startup from Erfurt has a strong idea and vision for disrupting the travel financing market with a sleek technology platform that creates a win-win situation. The travel agencies can offer an added-value service that will increase their bookings and travelers will now have additional options for their travel.”

Contact:

Annette Brünger
ucandoo GmbH
+49 (0) 163 3345100
www.ucandoo.de

About bm|t:

bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh currently manages eight investment funds with a volume of 320 Mio. EUR. As the universal investment company for the federal state of Thuringia, bm|t invests in innovative companies across all sectors and stages, from seed investments in startups to growth equity and mezzanine funding for established companies to succession investments such as MBOs and MBIs. The company´s mission is to strengthen Thuringia´s economy while generating positive investment results through targeted investments in innovative growth companies with high potential. In addition to capital, bm|t brings a wealth of experience and a strong network to its investee-partners.

www.bm-t.de

 

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The Carlyle Group Invests in Wakanow.com, One of West Africa’s Largest Online Travel Agencies

Carlyle

Lagos – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that it has agreed to invest $40 million in Wakanow.com Limited (Wakanow), an online travel agency focused on West and East Africa, with principal operations in Nigeria. Equity came from Carlyle’s Sub-Saharan Africa fund and further financial details were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009 in Nigeria, Wakanow is one of West Africa’s largest full-service online travel companies, providing its customers with a one-stop online booking portal for flights, hotels, holiday packages, and other travel services and ancillaries. Complementing their online offering, Wakanow also operates a network of traditional brick-and-mortar travel centres and has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, UAE and the UK.

Wakanow enjoys strong brand recognition and a scale advantages in its local markets. This investment adds to Carlyle’s experience in the online travel sector, where it has invested in companies such as C-trip, one of the major online travel agencies operating across China, the Latin American travel and tour operator CVC Brasil, and Vasco Turismo, one of the largest travel operations groups in Peru.

Obinna Ekezie, Co-Founder and CEO, Wakanow, said: “We are excited to partner with Carlyle as we continue to grow and expand in Africa and beyond. Carlyle’s global footprint and scale as well as its extensive experience and network in the online travel sector will help us to further develop our offerings and broaden our customer base.”

Idris Mohammed, Managing Director, The Carlyle Group, said: “Wakanow has experienced incredible growth since inception, disrupting the travel market and taking market share both online and offline. We believe that this strong growth trajectory will continue as Wakanow benefits from an expanding middle class across the continent in addition to increasing internet penetration and mobile connectivity, which is driving increased online traffic. We look forward to working with Wakanow’s management team to help them deliver on their vision for growth and expansion.”

Mayowa Ayodele, Chief Investment Officer, Platform Capital, one of Wakanow’s lead investors, said: “We are happy to partner with Carlyle and look forward to working together with them to strengthen Wakanow’s market position, accelerate innovation, deepen its systems and processes to realize the vision of a truly world class online travel agency with African roots.”

* * * * *

Media contacts:

Wakanow
Obinna Ekezie
Tel: +234 (0) 803 725 2736
Obinna@wakanow.com

The Carlyle Group
Catherine Armstrong
Tel: +44 (0)20 7894 1632
Catherine.Armstrong@carlyle.com

About Wakanow

Wakanow Limited is Nigeria’s leading travel business with a strong presence in West Africa and an increasingly growing reach across the African continent. The company offers an increasing set of products to address the holiday making desires of the African consumer, while showcasing and offering the Africa holiday experience to the rest of the world. Its partnerships with key global players in the travel space make it a one-stop travel solution at a competitive price point. The company employs over a 100 people and operates offices in strategic locations across the continent.

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.

Web: www.carlyle.com 
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle  
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary

About Carlyle Sub-Saharan Africa Fund (CSSAF)

Established in 2012, CSSAF and its affiliates, with $698 million of committed capital, have invested over $550 million to date across a variety of industries, including energy, financial services, TMT, retail, logistics, business services and mining services, and across a variety of geographies, including South Africa, Gabon, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CSSAF makes buyout and growth capital investments in private and public companies from offices in Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria.

About Platform Capital

Platform Capital is a growth markets focused, sector agnostic, principal investments firm.

Platform deploys patient, value accretive capital alongside international and local value investors to create champion businesses with the ability for regional scale. The firm’s extensive on-the-ground relationships and real time market insights makes it a unique co-investment partner.

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The Carlyle Group and Explorer Investments Acquire Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort

Carlyle

Lisbon, Portugal – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG), and Explorer Investments, an independent alternative asset management company in Portugal, today announced they have purchased Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort in Portugal.  Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Resort will continue to be managed by Ritz-Carlton, a Marriot Group company, who have run the resort since December 2003.

Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort, part of Quinta da Penha Longa, in Sintra, is one of the most iconic resorts in Portugal, with 194 rooms, a spa and a wellness centre as well as more than 3,000m2 conference and meeting facilities. The resort features a golf course, highlighted as one of the top 30 best golf courses in Europe, and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. In addition to extensive meeting, sporting and leisure facilities, in 2018 Penha Longa became the first hotel in Portugal to have two restaurants awarded Michelin stars.

Peter Stoll, Managing Director for Carlyle European Realty advisory team, said: “Penha Longa is one of the best-known and most-established hotels in Portugal, and the hospitality sector in the country is experiencing a strong demand from both leisure and corporate travellers. We are excited to partner with Explorer Investments to develop the full potential of the resort.”

Pedro Seabra, Partner for Real Estate of Explorer, said: “The Explorer’s co-investing and asset management business in Real Estate and Hospitality is growing in a sustainable way, and we are very happy with the quality of this asset, which comprises state of the art hospitality and first-class real estate development, and the quality of our partner in this investment”.

CBRE acted as an advisor to the transaction. Carlyle and Explorer received additional support by Uría Menéndez – Proença de Carvalho and Deloitte.

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About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.

Web: www.carlyle.com
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary

About Carlyle Europe Realty

Carlyle Europe Realty (CER) is focuses on investments in a thematic and targeted way in real estate and real estate related assets and companies primarily in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, as well as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands pursuing an opportunistic investment and management strategy. The CER investment team is led by European real estate veteran Peter Stoll and a senior team that averages over 17 years of European principal investing experience. The CER investment team has an on-the-ground presence in key locations in the United Kingdom, France and Germany and a pan-European investment team based in London, as well as benefitting from the global resources of Carlyle.

About Explorer Investments

Founded in 2003, Explorer is the independent management company of alternative assets with the greatest experience and track record in Portugal. Explorer manages and advises funds with a total value in the region of € 1,500M, divided into three Business Areas: Private Equity, Growth Capital, Tourism and Real Estate. Explorer’s team is made up of more than 35 people, with complementary experience in investment banking, consulting, legal advice and industry. The investment track record of its team, its deep knowledge of Portuguese business fabric, its experience in contracting with public entities and its long-term relationships with banks, financial intermediaries and lawyers, gives Explorer a unique competitive advantage in the management of alternative assets in Portugal. Explorer has a relevant presence in the Portuguese real estate market since 2012, as investment adviser of the Discovery Property Fund, a Tourism oriented fund, with Gross assets in the region of € 950 M, and the recently created Explorer Real Estate I, focused on acquiring Commercial Real Estate in Lisbon, with a gross asset Value in the region of € 200 M.

Media contacts:

The Carlyle Group
Catherine Armstrong 
Tel: +44 (0) 207 894 1632 
Email: catherine.armstrong@carlyle.com

José Pedro Luís
939 743 133
jpl@cunhavaz.com 

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