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Fort Capital assists Hold It All Inc. in the acquisition of an interest in Amer Sports

Transaction Details

Transaction, led by Chinese retailer ANTA Sports, values Amer at €5.6 billion
Fort Capital Partners is pleased to announce that Anamered Investments has teamed with ANTA Sports Products (HKSE:2020), FountainVest Partners and Tencent Holdings (together with Anamered, the “Investor Consortium”) to acquire all the shares of Amer Sports (Nasdaq Helsinki: AMERS) by way of voluntary tender offer.
Amer Sports is a Finnish sporting goods company with internationally recognized brands including Arc’teryx, Salomon, Peak Performance, Atomic, Mavic, Suunto, Wilson and Precor.
Together with refinancing of the debt of Amer Sports, the transaction is valued at approximately € 5.6 billion (US$6.4 billion). ANTA Sports owns approximately 58% of Amer Sports, with the balance owned by Anamered Investments (20.7%), FountainVest Partners (15.8%) and Tencent (5.6%).

Chip Wilson, Chairman of Hold It All and owner of Anamered Investments, commented: “Amer Sports owns an attractive portfolio of brands that we have long admired and used in our day to day lives. We are excited to have this opportunity to help their brands grow globally and to see Amer Sports lead the way in the evolution of the athletic apparel industry as a whole. Amer Sports’ brands have exceptional potential for growth in an environment that is increasingly valuing quality, technically oriented soft goods. The members of the Investor Consortium share a common philosophy and have backgrounds and capabilities that are highly complementary, and these will be of considerable benefit to Amer Sports.”

RBC Capital Markets and Fort Capital provided advice to the Wilson Family on its role with the Investor Consortium, with Bennett Jones and Choate Hall & Stewart acting as legal counsel to Anamered. The Investor Consortium and Amer Sports were represented by Citibank and Goldman Sachs, respectively.

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About The Investor Consortium

Anamered Investments is owned by the Wilson Family, pioneers in vertical retailing and technical apparel. The Wilson Family retains a significant interest in lululemon, as well as a well-diversified portfolio of investments in real estate, private equity, private companies, and public securities. Each of the businesses Hold It All has invested in privately are nurtured and supported by long-term capital and are held to a high standard of performance, governance, financial return and accountability.

ANTA Sports, and the ANTA brand, was established in 1991 and ANTA was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2007. ANTA is China’s largest sports retailer. ANTA Sports’ brand portfolio includes ANTA, FILA, DESCENTE, SPRANDI, KINGKOW and KOLON SPORT. In recent years, ANTA Sports’ “Single-Focus, Multi-Brand, and Omni-Channel” strategy has deepened its footprint in the sportswear market in China.

FountainVest Partners, founded in 2007, is one of the most established independent private equity firms in Asia. FountainVest focuses on long-term oriented investments in industry leaders, partnering closely with management teams to drive growth and create value in diversified areas including in strategy, operations, finance, and industry consolidation. FountainVest has completed a number of successful landmark investments in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Sectors of focus include Consumer, Media & Technology, Healthcare, Industrials, and Financial Services. FountainVest is backed by some of the largest sovereign wealth funds and public pensions plans around the world, with assets under management of close to USD 5.0 billion.

Tencent Holdings Limited was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998 and went public on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2004. Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Its social products WeChat / Weixin and QQ link users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music and books. Its proprietary targeting technology helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Its infrastructure services including payment, security, cloud and artificial intelligence create differentiated offerings and support its partners’ business growth. Tencent seeks to evolve with the Internet by investing in people and innovation.

About Amer Sports

Amer Sports is a sporting goods company with internationally-recognized brands including Arc’teryx, Salomon, Peak Performance, Atomic, Mavic, Suunto, Wilson and Precor. Its technically advanced sports equipment, footwear, apparel and accessories aim to improve performance and increase the enjoyment of sports and outdoor activities. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Amer Sports’ business is balanced by its broad portfolio of sports and products and a presence in all major markets. Amer Sports’ shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.