Toy story for private equity firm
SAMBRO, a leading independent toy manufacturer, has been acquired by London-based private equity firm Elysian Capital in conjunction with its management team.
Bury-based SAMBRO was established in 1997 and it has more than doubled turnover over the last three years to over £60m.
The multi-award winning licensee has forged strong links with global brand owners including Disney, Nickelodeon, Universal and Hasbro. Under the leadership of Tom Duffy, Nikki Samuels and Jeremy Clynes, the company has expanded its product portfolio and makes and distributes licensed products covering a wide range of categories including toys, arts and crafts, stationery, bags and more.
Nikki Samuels, licensing director said: “It has always been our long term vision to build SAMBRO into an market leading licensed products company and we have achieved that. ..This amazing partnership with Elysian Capital will allow us to realise our ambitious growth plans for the next few years and we look forward to working with them to take our business to a whole new level.
“They have made every effort to get to know our company from the ground up and their investment both in terms of financial and professional input will be invaluable.’
Ken Terry, chief executive of Elysian Capital said: “The Sambro team has done a fantastic job in creating a market leading licensed products business. We were attracted to the high growth delivered by the business, its in-house product design team and partnership approach with brand owners and retailers. But most importantly we are backing a passionate team with tremendous ambitions for their business whether that be further organic growth or through acquisitions.
“This is a fitting first investment for our new fund that meets our desire to back aspirational management teams who would benefit from our differentiated and aligned approach.”
Elysian was advised by PwC (corporate finance, financial and commercial due diligence); Eversheds (legal); Aon Group (Insurance) and Crimson & Co (supply chain).
Sambro’s shareholders and management were advised by KPMG (corporate finance) and DLA Piper (legal). Senior debt and working capital facilities were provided by Barclays Bank, Manchester who were advised by Addleshaw Goddard.
Jonathan Boyers, Manchester-based head of corporate finance in the north at KPMG, and lead adviser to Sambro, said: “Sambro has a fantastic growth story, buoyed by the success of popular product ranges including Frozen, Star Wars and Minions. We’re delighted to have advised on this deal, which sets the company up for the next phase of its development. Sambro has an excellent, highly-motivated management team, and I’m confident that they will go from strength to strength with Elysian as a partner.”
