Fourth investment for private equity fund “Gradiente II”
Padua, 3 September 2020. Fourth investment for private equity fund “Gradiente II”, managed by Gradiente SGR, which completed the investment in Arcansas srl on 10 August 2020. Arcansas is a company specializing in the production of profiles for coatings, hygienic connections, floors and hardware/D.I.Y.. Founded in 1980, Arcansas has established itself over the years as a reference partner for the main operators of DIY large-scale distribution operating worldwide, thanks to the high standards of service offered in terms of delivery speed, breadth of the product portfolio and efficiency of the internal layout of the store.
With a turnover of almost 30 million euros, the company has a workforce of over 100 employees, a sales network of 60 agents covering the Italian and international market (which represents more than half of the turnover), 5 offices abroad and distributors located in over 30 countries around the world. Arcansas is also the only operator in the sector able to internally manage the entire production cycle in the Mondavio and Piagge (PU) plants, guaranteeing its customers the highest quality through total control over the final product.
Gradiente has acquired, together with the co-investor La Finanziaria Trentina S.p.A. and some family offices, a 60% stake in the company; the remaining 40% is owned by the Scriattoli family who founded and led the company throughout its success story. The purpose of the operation is to seize the numerous and important growth opportunities offered by the sector by consolidating its leadership in the GDO channel and increasing penetration within the traditional channel, also through the acquisition and integration of complementary operators active on an international level.
“I am very satisfied with the transaction concluded with Gradiente, a partner with whom we share the business vision and the vocation for growth. The development plan that we have shared aims at doubling turnover in a few years, also thanks to the new skills that will give the company a further boost. Major investments have already been made in order to triple the production capacity, increase the range with innovative products and increase quality. We chose Gradiente in order to grow exponentially and for its world-wide vision. ” comments Amedeo Scriattoli, CEO of Arcansas.
“Arcansas is an example of Italian excellence active in a market characterized by favorable dynamics and very solid economic fundamentals, with a strong international vocation and a production and logistics organization unmatched in the sector. We are happy to support Amedeo and Federico Scriattoli in this new development project aimed at affirming the leadership of the company internationally, also by seizing important opportunities for creating value through functional addons to expand the product offer and consolidate the competitive positioning of the company in the reference market ”, comments the Gradiente SGR team.
Gradiente was assisted by NCTM Studio Legale for contract management, by the law and tax firm Russo De Rosa Associati for tax consultancy, by PwC for accounting consultancy, by GEA Consulenti di Direzione for business due diligence and by Marsh Risk Consulting for environmental due diligence. The acquisition was financed by Banco BPM S.p.A .. The loan agreement was handled for the financing bank by the law firm Simmons & Simmons. The Scriattoli family was assisted by the legal and tax commercial firm Studio Guerra & Associati and by the law firm Ceccarelli & Silvestri.