25/04/2022
Press release
MERIDIA PRIVATE EQUITY DIVESTS FUTBOL EMOTION.
Barcelona, April 25th, 2022 – La gestora de capital riesgo (private equity) Meridia Private Equity has sold its stake in Futbol Emotion, the leading omnichannel football equipment specialist retailer in Iberia and Southern Europe, to Tansley, a Spanish industrial group with interests in several consumerfocused businesses, co-founded by Javier Osa and participated by GPF Capital.
Meridia Private Equity acquired a significant minority stake in Futbol Emotion in May 2018 with the goal of supporting and accelerating its growth plans across its three main channels (Digital, Retail and Teamsports), in order to consolidate its position as the leading omnichannel football equipment specialist retailer in Iberia and Southern Europe.
Futbol Emotion was Meridia Private Equity’s third investment and represents its fourth exit, following the previous successful divestments of its stakes in Kipenzi (2019), Sosa Ingredients (2021) and Vetsum (2022, pending closing).
Jose María Mateu, Vice President of Private Equity at Meridia Capital and Futbol Emotion’s Board Member, commented: “We are very proud of what Futbol Emotion has achieved over the past years, having exceeded its organic development targets by tripling its size since 2017. For us, it has been a privilege to play such an active role in further consolidating and institutionalizing Futbol Emotion as an uncontested sector refence at a European level”.
Meridia Capital’s Chairman, Javier Faus, said: “Futbol Emotion represents another successful transaction for Meridia Capital’s Private Equity practice. This is also another clear example of our proven ability to achieve social and economic value enhancement in the Spanish corporate ecosystem, while delivering fruitful returns to our investors”.
About Futbol Emotion
Founded in 2001 with the opening of a store specialized in goalkeeper equipment in Zaragoza (Spain), today Futbol Emotion stands as an omnichannel specialist retailer of football equipment with (i) worldwide digital sales through its website and mobile app, (ii) a network of 21 physical stores in Spain and Portugal, and (iii) direct sales to a growing portfolio of +200 professional and amateur football clubs.
For more information please visit: www.futbolemotion.com
About Meridia Capital
Meridia Capital Partners is a leading alternatives fund manager investing in private markets in Spain with over 850 million euros of equity raised since inception plus close to 250 million euros of assets under advisory.
Throughout the firm’s over 15 years of experience and various vehicles, Meridia has consistently outperformed market returns for its investor base, which includes some of the world’s largest and most noteworthy institutional groups.
In 2016 Meridia Capital launched Meridia Private Equity, a €105 million private equity fund that targets companies headquartered in Spain. In addition, Meridia is also active in real estate and venture capital. Futbol Emotion was Meridia Private Equity’s third investment and represents its fourth exit, following the divestments of its stakes in: (i) Kipenzi (2019), a leading integrated pet care specialist in Spain and Portugal (now merged with Tiendanimal to create Grupo Iskaypet); (ii) Sosa Ingredients (2021), a leading Spanish designer, manufacturer and distributor of technical food ingredients for the gastronomy segment; and (iii) Vetsum (2022, pending closing), the leading independent veterinary care provider in Spain.
Meridia Private Equity’s current portfolio includes: (i) Grupo Andilana, a full-service multiconcept casual dining restaurant chain and hotel operator in Spain; (ii) Volotea, a Spanish-based airline offering point-to-point flights between small-mid sized cities throughout Europe at affordable prices; and (iii) Zummo, a global incumbent in the design, manufacturing and commercialization of automatic fresh fruit squeezing and processing machines.
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