Carlyle and Pemberton provide debt financing for H.I.G. Capital’s acquisition of Acqua & Sapone

Milan, Italy, 22 October 2021 – Global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that its Global Credit platform has provided the debt financing package, alongside Pemberton Asset Management, to support the acquisition of Cesar di Barbarossa Enio e F.lli S.r.l. (“Cesar”), Gruppo SDA S.r.l. Servizi Distribuzione Associati (“SDA”) and VDM (“VDM”) (together, the “Companies”) by an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC (“H.I.G.”). The Companies operate under the Acqua & Sapone brand, Italy’s leading non-food discount retailer selling a wide range of household and personal care products at value prices through a network of more than 700 retail locations. The Companies will generate over €900 million in revenues in 2021.  

Acqua & Sapone’s commitment to high-quality consumer experiences and its expansive product range has helped it attract a high level of brand loyalty and established its reputation as a household name known for offering quality products at discounted prices in convenient locations.  

Nicola Falcinelli, Managing Director of Carlyle Global Credit, said: “We are pleased to support H.I.G. Capital’s investment in Acqua & Sapone, which is uniquely positioned to meet growing demand for high quality products in the household and personal care segments at discounted prices. H.I.G. is the ideal partner to help consolidate Acqua & Sapone’s market-leading position by growing its retail store network and broadening its product range, while maintaining its focus on ‘value for money’ and convenience, synonymous with the Acqua & Sapone brand.”  

Stefano Giambelli, Managing Director at H.I.G. Capital, added: “Acqua & Sapone is the leading non-food discount retailer in Italy and a unique household brand known to most Italians. We continue to see significant opportunity for growth, both organically and via acquisitions, and this financing package supports us in achieving that long-term growth strategy.”

Carlyle provided debt financing through its Global Credit platform, which regularly pursues investments in privately negotiated capital solutions for upper middle market borrowers, including both private equity sponsored and family or entrepreneur-owned companies.

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About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $276 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2021, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs nearly 1,800 people in 27 offices across five continents. Further information is available at carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.

About Pemberton
Pemberton Asset Management (‘Pemberton’) is a leading European private debt manager transforming traditional credit markets, backed by one of Europe’s largest insurers Legal & General Group PLC. Pemberton is focused on delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns for global investors and long-term capital for European borrowers, which provides growth capital for the wider European economy. Pemberton uniquely blends asset management and banking expertise and offers mid-market companies in the UK and Europe an alternative to bank finance. With an approach focused on risk transparency, Pemberton aims to bring clarity to complex credit markets for investors, borrowers and banks. For more information, please visit our website at www.pembertonam.com.

Media contacts:
Carlyle:
Charlie Bristow
Tel: +44 (0) 7384 513568
Email: charlie.bristow@carlyle.com