Bluegem Capital Partners Acquires Panzeri Diffusion

PARIS – Bluegem Capital Partners has acquired Panzeri Diffusion, an Italian company trading in the professional hair-care category.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bluegem, a European mid-market fund based in London with a focus on consumer brands, made the purchase through its Pool Service subsidiary, which was created in September 2019 after Bluegem acquired Pool Service/Medavita group. The aim with that transaction was to create an aggregator platform in the professional hair-care category.

That beauty segment, estimated at 14 billion euros globally, has been especially challenging over the past few years, so industry executives have been innovating to try and increase footfall into professional hair salons and in some instances consolidate activities to build critical mass to help in manufacturing operations and negotiating distribution deals.

Panzeri, which was founded in 1999 by Ivano Panzeri in Malnate, Italy, owns professional hair-product brands that include Z.one Concept, Milk_Shake, No Inhibition, Simply Zen, Depot and Urban Tribe. The group’s products are available domestically and in international markets, including the U.S.

Related Gallery

Strange Days, On Film

Once the two groups are merged, the new entity is to be named BeautyNova. It will be the third-largest group operating in the professional hair-care market in Italy – worth an estimated 540 million euros annually – with estimated aggregate pro-forma sales of about 90 million euros. Sales abroad should comprise more than 60 percent of revenues in over 70 countries, including China and Latin America, as well as the U.S.

The merged company will have more than 300 employees, a portfolio of over 12,000 proprietary formulations and an in-house research-and-development department.

The current chief executive officer of Panzeri, Stefano Banfo, will lead the group’s development for the next few years, according to Bluegem.

Panzieri said he wanted to ensure continuity and ongoing development for the company he founded, especially as the professional hair-care market becomes ever more competitive.

He explained that’s “why I have chosen a group that has ambitious development plans and which will give added value to the extraordinary results achieved by my company up until now.”

“Together, we are sharing the extraordinary synergies that could exist and the advantages that, thanks to this transaction, we can gain for global growth, a virtuous union between the two companies,” said Panzieri. “The opportunity to remain in the province of Varese, both to safeguard the security of the collaborators and continue to be an economic value for Varesotto [the area surrounding the city of Varese] was an important consideration in my decision.”

“The deal fits perfectly into the investment strategy of the Bluegem III fund, which is focused on stable consumer brands (consumer staples) with a strong cash generation that have demonstrated resilience during the delicate phase of COVID-19,” said Emilio Di Spiezio Sardo, cofounder of Bluegem Capital Partners, in the statement. “Furthermore, this transaction confirms Bluegem’s attention to Italy, a market which we believe in and aim to accelerate the performance of some of the most promising entrepreneurial entities in the country.”

Deloitte Financial Advisory served as Bluegem’s financial adviser. Latham & Watkins and Studio Gattai, Minoli, Agostinelli and Partners were the legal and tax advisers, respectively, for Bluegem.

Panzieri’s financial adviser was Milano Global Advisors, and Studio Barberi & Volpi Associati served as its legal adviser.

Source: Read Full Article

You May Also Like

Related Gallery

Strange Days, On Film