Partners Group Agrees to Buy SureWerx from Riverside, valuing the firm at about $870m

Swiss private equity firm Partners Group Holdings AG has agreed to buy personal protective equipment SureWerx from the Riverside Co.

The deal values SureWerx at about $870 million including debt, according to a person who asked not to be identified because the terms were private. Riverside bought the company from Penfund in 2018 for an undisclosed sum and backed management to make acquisitions that have included Oberon Co. and Footwear Specialties International.

Partners Group, which you can meet at the Swiss Private Equity Conference, will continue to pursue “both tuck-ins and transformational acquisitions” for SureWerx. A representative for Partners Group declined to comment on the valuation.

“Industrial safety has been a thematic focus area of ours for over four years, and we have conviction in SureWerx’s growth potential due to its broad product portfolio, end-market diversification and compelling industry tailwinds,” Derek Lim, managing director of Partners Group’s private equity goods and products group, said in a statement. “SureWerx’s products play an important role in ensuring worker safety, which fits with our commitment to invest in companies that achieve positive stakeholder impact.”

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Lim said in an interview that Partners Group will continue to pursue “both tuck-ins and transformational acquisitions” for SureWerx.

The firm said in the statement that it will work with SureWerx management to build on its position in the North American safety market. Value creation initiatives include making strategic acquisitions of targeted product lines, launching an operational excellence program, expanding the company’s e-commerce capabilities, and transforming sales and product development processes.

Chris Baby, chief executive officer of SureWerx, will continue to lead the company after the acquisition, according to the statement.

SureWerx, with dual headquarters in Vancouver and Chicago, has around 350 employees across 12 distribution centers, with most of its sales in the US and Canada. Its brands include ADA Solutions and Due North.

Latham & Watkins represented Partners Group in the transaction.

Source: BNN Bloomberg

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