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The Wire

Private equity deal news and insights from the New York newsroom

Dec 23, 2024

 

Clarion beats the clock on Arthur Murray deal; PAG Asia Capital to sell Lexmark to Xerox

Good morning, PE Hubsters! Rafael Canton here filling in for MK Flynn with the US edition of the Wire from the New York newsroom.

 

First, we have a deep dive into Clarion Capital’s deal to acquire dance studio franchise Arthur Murray International.

 

After that, we have a deal from this morning. Xerox Holdings Corporation has agreed to acquire Lexmark International.

 

Then, we have insights on 2025 dealmaking from KPMG through its end of year survey.

 

Finally, we’ll end with a mention of PE Hub’s Deal of the Year Awards.

 

Just dance

Clarion Capital Partners faced two challenges when acquiring dance studio franchise Arthur Murray International: honoring the company’s 112-year-old history and legacy while looking to close on the deal quickly as owner and CEO Philip Masters was 97 years old. To learn more about the deal, PE Hub’s Iris Dorbian caught up with Clarion partner Eric Kogan.

 

Upgrade to the premium version to learn more about the key reasons for Clarion’s acquisition of Arthur Murray and how it plans to grow the company.

 

Printing press

In a deal announced this morning, Xerox Holdings Corporation has agreed to acquire Lexmark International.

 

Premium subscribers can learn more about the deal.

 

Deals on the way

As we’ve highlighted throughout the year, there is an expectation that dealmaking is expected to pick up in 2025. KPMG released its year-end M&A survey which shares similar sentiments.

 

Subscribe to the premium version of the Wire to gain access to learn some key insights from the report.

 

Deal of the Year Awards

Let’s end with another look towards next year. PE Hub is now accepting nominations for the 35th annual Deal of the Year Awards, which honor exceptional buyouts that were fully or mostly realized in 2024.

 

The deadline for submission is Friday, January 10, 2025. Winners will be selected in six categories, plus an overall winner, and the results will be published on pehub.com in March.

 

PE Hub’s Deal of the Year Awards 2025 categories are:

  • Large-Cap North America – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $1 billion or more
  • Large-Cap Europe – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $1 billion or more
  • Mid-Cap North America – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $200 million to $1 billion
  • Mid-Cap Europe – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $200 million to $1 billion
  • Small-Cap North America – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $100 million to $200 million
  • Small-Cap Europe – recognizing the sale of a company with an enterprise value at the time of the exit of $100 million to $200 million
  • Deal of the Year – recognizing one of the category winners as the best LBO exit of 2024. This will be given to the single deal that stands out for its innovation and execution. There is no separate nomination for this category.

 

That’s it from me today. If you have any questions, thoughts, or want to chat, please email me at [email protected]

 

Tomorrow, Nina Lindholm will be with you for the Europe edition of the Wire and Obey Martin Manayiti will bring you the US edition.

 

Cheers,

Rafael

 

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

Today's must reads
> Clarion Capital sees 'enormous momentum' in legendary Arthur Murray dance franchise More...
> David von Rosen builds firm’s presence from gambling to real estate More...
> Travel industry attracts PE interest amid AI boom and post-covid holidays More...
> Pet owners spent more on vet services in 2024, and so did PE investors More...
> Private equity European office push pays off with UK, Germany and France deals More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

Temasek-backed 65 Equity searches for North American chief after departure. The firm last year brought on Leon Brujis, a Palladium Equity executive, to lead its East Coast office out of New York. (Buyouts)

 

UK carry tax gets a makeover: Story of the Year. The UK will bring carried interest into the income tax framework from April 2026. (Private Equity International)

 

Secondaries strategy generates big returns for TempoCap. The UK-based firm emphasizes the timing of its primary and secondary investments in companies to produce impressive performance metrics. (Venture Capital Journal)

 

Tokenized funds company goes in-house for administration. Securitize wants servicing that is tailored to blockchain-linked investment vehicles. (Private Funds CFO)

Deals

NXT Capital: Middle-Market Direct Lending and Investor Solutions
> Neuberger Berman takes minority stake in Harvest Partners-backed Yellowstone Landscape More...
> Xerox to acquire printers manufacturer Lexmark International for $1.5bn More...
> Xerox to acquire printer manufacturer Lexmark International for $1.5bn More...
> Sixth Street agrees to be majority shareholder of Lemon Pepper More...
> Third Point to acquire credit fund manager Birch Grove More...
> CDP Equity and Trilantic Europe buy majority stake in Diagram More...
People
> O2-backed Azureon taps Todd as chief integration and development officer and Ordonez as HR director More...
> Health Enterprise Partners promotes Rauber to VP More...
> David von Rosen builds firm’s presence from gambling to real estate More...
 

They said it

“If you ask people who have taken dance lessons, which brands do you know, by far, the largest number of people know Arthur Murray. The business has enormous momentum – people are taking more lessons. Dance plays a role in health and wellness and that allows [people] to move and shut away from screens, technology and phones and focus on dancing.”

— Eric Kogan, partner, Clarion Capital Partners on the firm’s deal to acquire Arthur Murray International

 

Today's letter was prepared by Rafael Canton

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