Nordic sports facility one-stop-shop service partner Unisport strengthens its position and acquires substantial part of business and assets from Virklund Sport`s bankruptcy estate. Unisport is the market leader in sports facilities surfaces and equipment in the Nordic countries. Virklund Sport is a strong player in Danish market and has 60 years of experience. With this acquisition and combined product portfolio Unisport will strengthen its position not only in Denmark but also in the whole Nordic market.

“Unisport warmly welcomes Virklund Sport`s customers and partners to join our family. We already operate and serve the same clientele in markets, and now together we can offer more comprehensive one-stop-shop service and world-class solutions for our customers. Together we`ll be stronger”, says Mikko Kilpeläinen, CEO of Unisport.

Unisport has a deep knowledge and wide product portfolio in sport facilities and Virklund Sport`s business areas complete that especially with high-class indoor products and services.

“Danish market has a very positive outlook for coming years in number of sport facility projects and we see potential on consolidating indoor and outdoor markets. Our purpose is to make people move and offer better facilities and conditions for athletes and spectators. By combining Unisport`s and Virklund Sport`s excellencies we are moving one step closer for our vision to have a healthier society. We believe that by creating more attractive sports facilities, we can increase well-being in our society. To secure our joint business plan moving forward we have nominated Stefan Andersson, as an Enterprise Project Manager, to lead the integration of Virklund and Unisport”, Kilpeläinen continues.

Acquired Virklund Sport’s business will continue underneath Unisport Scandinavia ApS in Denmark. Unisport maintains Virklund Sport as a commercial brand name for products and services.

“From the very first day of our business, the company focused on creating high-quality products for Danish sport. Our aim has been to inspire our customers and partners to create sports projects that encourage movement and a sense of community. Unisport shares the same vision and values and for sure there will be even more attractive sport facilities designed and built in Denmark by Unisport. Together, Unisport and Virklund have the potential to become the leader in indoor and outdoor sports facilities in Denmark. This is an excellent opportunity and we are looking forward becoming a part of Unisport”, says Johannes Madsen, Sales Development Manager of Virklund Sport.

More information:

CEO, Mikko Kilpeläinen, +358 50 542 5884, mikko.kilpelainen@unisport.com
Enterprise Project Manager, Stefan Andersson, +46 70 941 42 55, stefan.andersson@unisport.com
Country Manager Denmark, Jan Lyngemark, +45 50 80 05 23, jan.lyngemark@unisport.com

Unisport is today the clear market leader in sports facilities surfaces and equipment in the Nordic countries. The key customer groups are municipalities, sports clubs and construction companies. Unisport has a pro forma turnover of 130 million euros and 300 employees in 6 countries. The head office is located in Helsinki. The companies operating in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the UK, and Latvia complement each other product-wise and geographically. The aim is to reach a significant growth in sales and to become a leading North European one-stop service partner whose sports facility concepts provide the best environment for athletes as well as spectators. www.unisport.com

Gimv[1], together with France Thermes’ Chairman and management team, announces the group’s acquisition from Normandie Capital Investissement, Initiative et Finance and Volney Développement. Gimv’s current investment as well as the commitments taken, are aimed at continuing the development of the company’s existing thermal resorts and supporting its active expansion and acquisition policy.

Since 2013, France Thermes has belonged to Normandie Capital Investissement, Initiative et Finance, Volney Développement and Sylvain Serafini, Chairman of the group since 2009. It owns, develops and operates two thermal resorts in Bagnoles de l’Orne (Normandy) and Châtel-Guyon (Auvergne). In 2017, France Thermes welcomed nearly 20,000 guests and generated turnover of nearly EUR 19 million.

The group is one of the French thermal spa sector’s most dynamic players, with widely recognised expertise in the development of thermal resorts. It is growing fast and aims to consolidate its market by capitalising on efficient operations, by focusing on high-quality facilities and care for medical and recreational thermal spa users, and on constructive collaboration with all the players in its ecosystem (healthcare professionals, local authorities, etc.).

The group currently operates the B’O Resort in Bagnoles de l’Orne (www.bo-thermes.com), a leading provider of thermal rheumatology and phlebology treatments in northwestern France. The site has been revitalised and remodelled as a thermal resort through a significant investment programme driven by Sylvain Serafini and his team, and now hosts nearly 13,000 guests a year. On the back of this first successful venture in Bagnoles de l’Orne, France Thermes is building a new thermal resort in Châtel-Guyon (www.thermesdechatel-guyon.fr) that will provide an offer unique in Europe focused on digestive health and gut flora, in addition to rheumatology.

“We chose Gimv for its perfect understanding of the challenges facing the health sector and its capacity as an investor to provide significant long-term resources. France Thermes’ thermal resort concept makes it perfectly placed to respond effectively to an ageing population and the increase in chronic diseases, as a result of which thermal spa treatments have become a core part of public health strategy, with patient care now fully reimbursable,” explained Sylvain Serafini, also CEO of the France Thermes group.

“We believe that France Thermes is an ideal platform on which to create a leading player in the French thermal spa market. The group relies on a splendid management team that has shown that its thermal resort concept delivers excellent results and is ready for wider deployment,” stated Gautier Lefebvre, Principal in Gimv’s Health & Care team.

Benoit Chastaing, Partner, Partner in Gimv’s Health & Care team, added: “The France Thermes model fits perfectly with the concept of continuous care provision. Our expertise in the consolidation of healthcare facilities combined with our long-term vision will be major advantages for implementing France Thermes’ plan. We are very proud to have been selected by Sylvain Serafini and his team to support the group in carrying out its ambitious growth plan.”

No further financial details on this transaction will be disclosed.

Graphite Capital, the leading mid-market private equity specialist, has Today sold its investment in Corbin & King, the leading London-based restaurant group. The sale forms part of a wider transaction in which Minor Hotels, one of the largest hospitality and leisure groups in the Asia -Pacific region, took a majority interest in the group. Minor is best known as the operator of Anantara hotels. In 2012 Graphite provided development finance to fund the company’s expansion. At the time Corbin & King operated two restaurants: the Wolseley which had been open since 2003 and the recently opened Delaunay. Both have continued to grow strongly.

Subsequently Corbin & King opened four more restaurants: Colbert, Brasserie Zédel, Fischer’s and Bellanger. The expansion has been highly successful and the new restaurants have won numerous industry awards. Revenues of the restaurant group have more than trebled and are now more than £45 million.

In 2014, Corbin & King opened The Beaumont, a luxury hotel in Mayfair, to widespread critical acclaim. The Beaumont is regularly rated in the top five hotels in London by TripAdvisor and won the AA’s ‘Hotel of the Year in London’ award in 2016.

Revenues have grown steadily since the opening and the hotel now makes an important contribution to group profits. Employee numbers have increased by over 150per cent since Graphite invested and Corbin & King now employs nearly 900 staff. Graphite senior partner Andy Gray said:

“Chris Corbin and Jeremy King have built a reputation as London’s most successful restaurateurs over the past 35 years. We are pleased to have played an important part in the development of such an iconic business and are delighted that it has shown consistent growth during our investment period. The company is highly profitable and we believe it has found an excellent partner in Minor Hotels.”

Senior partner Andy Gray and partner Omar Kayat managed the transaction for Graphite.

Ends

• KKR and Dunas Capital signed an agreement to acquire the Intertur hotels
• The portfolio of 1,119 rooms in Mallorca and Ibiza will be managed by Alua Hotels and Resorts (“Alua”) and marketed under the Alua brand from 2018 onwards
• The investment underlines KKR’s strong interest in leisure hotels in Southern Europe

LONDON– KKR, a leading global investment firm, the asset manager Dunas Capital and the hotel group Alua Hotels & Resorts today announced an agreement to acquire and manage the Intertur Hotels group.

Intertur Hotels is a prominent hotel group in the Balearic, with two assets in Mallorca (Palma Nova area), and two in Ibiza (Santa Eulàlia and San Antonio). The KKR-led venture aims at repositioning and modernizing the assets through a significant investment program. Alua will manage the hotels once the agreement is closed, and will market them under its brand starting 2018.

KKR and Dunas Capital’s real estate expertise, combined with Alua’s hospitality know-how, will be key to unlocking value in the portfolio. Guillaume Cassou, head of European Real Estate at KKR, commented “This portfolio of quality assets in strong locations offers a very solid basis to create value in a market benefiting from strong tailwinds. We are convinced that, together with our quality partners, we will be able to create value for our investors. This acquisition represents an exciting first step in KKR’s partnership with Dunas Capital and Alua, and all groups are looking forward to doing more together.”

Andreu Nubiola, Managing Director at Dunas Capital Real Estate, said: “We are delighted to share our expertise in the Spanish market with KKR and Alua. We believe that the Spanish tourism sector currently has great potential and we are convinced that the combination of the capabilities of the three groups will yield very positive results.”

Javier Aguila, CEO and co-founder of Alua Hotels & Resorts, also expressed his satisfaction: “We are excited to add assets with such quality and potential, and to kick-off this strategic collaboration with KKR and Dunas Capital. The transaction is a key milestone for our group, bringing rooms under management to over 3,200 in less than two years, thanks to the great job of our teams on the ground and the continued support of our shareholder, Alchemy Partners.”

KKR and Dunas Capital have been advised by Freshfields, Deloitte, Bird & Bird and Deerns. Intertur Hotels has Bufete Buades as advisor.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit and hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world‐class people, and driving growth and value creation at the asset level. KKR invests its own capital alongside its partners’ capital and brings opportunities to others through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Dunas Capital

Dunas Capital is an independent platform of financial services and a leader in the Iberian market. The group offers investment solutions through a portfolio of products covering fixed income, variable income, real estate and alternative assets, among others. Its team of professionals has extensive experience in financial markets (20 years on average), in industries such as banking, insurance and asset management. The firm is licensed by the Bank of Portugal, Portugal’s CMVM and Spain’s CNMV to carry out its activity in Spain.

About Alua Hotels & Resorts

Alua Hotels & Resorts is a hotel group created in 2015 by a group of executives with experience in the industry and by the European private equity and special situations investor Alchemy Partners, which has invested over €4 billion since its inception. Alua Hotels & Resorts aims to become a leader in the upper mid-market, and has a portfolio of fifteen hotels and about 3,200 rooms in the Balearic and Canary Islands. The group plans to expand by incorporating hotels and resorts of 3, 4 and 5 stars that offer vacations and leisure experiences in the main tourist destinations of Iberia.