New York. NY , November 22. 2008 - MidOcean Partners. a premier private equity firm with offices in New York and London, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Sbarro, lnc., the nation’s leading quick service Italian restaurant company.
Sbarro was rounded 50 years ago by the Sbarro family and today, based in Melville, N.Y., the company has approximately 1,000 restaurants located in shopping centers, airports, universities, rest stops, hotels, stadiums and hospitals throughout 34 countries.
Rob Sharp, a Partner at MidOcean, said, “We were extremely pleased that we had the exclusive opportunity to work with the Sbarro family to complete this exciting transaction. Sbarro is a tremendously strong and stable brand with unique positioning in the market. Today, the company is poised for significant future growth. We are very impressed with the performance of CEO Peter
Beaudrault and his management team and we look forward to working with them to continue to build the business globally and to capitalize on its significant growth potential.”
Mario Sbarro said, “My brothers and I are pleased to have MidOcean and Peter Beaudrault and his management team guide Sbarro to the future. We ere proud of the vision that our parents had over 50 years ago and the company which we built over these years. We are confident that the team of MidOcean and management will care for the brand which bears our family name.”
Peter Beaudrault, President and CEO of Sbarro, is an experienced restaurant industry veteran who previously served as President and CEO at Hard Rock Cafe International and held senior executive positions at TGI Friday’s Inc. Since joining Sbarro in 2004, Mr. Beaudrault has successfully implemented a strategic growth plan with his experienced and cohesive senior management team that has driven significant increases in sales and profitability. Mr. Beaudrault and the entire management team will continue in their positions following the acquisition.
Mr. Beaudrault said, “A key to our future growth is the fact that we have committed partners in the MidOcean teem who have significant experience in building branded consumer businesses. The management team is pleased that we will be able to continue to build our vision for this company with them. In addition, we will continue to have the creativity and vision of the founding Sbarro family that for 50 years has made this outstanding brand synonymous with high quality and affordable Italian cuisine.”
Northpoint Advisors served as advisers to MidOcean. Credit Suisse and Bank of America will provide financing for the transaction. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to MidOcean. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provided legal counsel to Sbarro.
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About Sbarro
Over the past five decades, Sbarro has grown into the nation’s leading quick service Italian restaurant company with approximately 1,000 locations across 34 countries and 11,000 employees. Sbarro’s deep Italian roots date back three generations to Naples, Italy and later Brooklyn, N.Y. The company offers an extensive menu of more than 200 items based on authentic Southern Italian recipes passed down through the Sbarro family. For five out of the past six years, Sbarro has been ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as the #1 quick service Italian restaurant. For more information, visit www.sbarro.oom.
About MidOcean Partners
MidOcean Partners is a premier New York-based alternative asset manager that specializes in middle market private equity and alternative credit investments. Since its inception in 2003, MidOcean Private Equity has managed over $4.5 billion of committed capital and has targeted investments in high-quality middle market companies in the consumer and business services sectors. MidOcean Credit Partners was launched in 2009 and manages approximately $8 billion across a series of alternative credit strategies, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and customized separately managed accounts as of November 30, 2018
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