Citicorp Venture Capital (CVC) today announced that it has made a
controlling investment in leading foodservice disposables manufacturer
Waddington North America, Inc. (WNA). Norwest Equity Partners (NEP), a
leading middle market private equity firm, and WNA management also
participated in the investment.
WNA designs and manufactures a variety of premium single-serve
products for the foodservice industry including dinnerware, drink
ware, serving ware, take-out containers and cutlery. Headquartered in
Covington, KY, WNA operates six manufacturing facilities throughout
the United States and Canada, providing foodservice disposables for
use by restaurants, caterers and consumers.
Industry trends have also been favorable for WNA as it continues
to be a market leader targeting the rapidly growing niche and high
value-added segments of the $4 billion rigid plastic sector of the
disposable tableware market. Mike Evans, WNA CEO, stated, "We are
thrilled to join the CVC portfolio and are looking forward to
realizing our growth plans with our new investment partners. CVC and
NEP have significant plastic and packaging experience combined with
capital to help us grow both internally and through acquisitions."
WNA's focus on technical innovation, a broad product line
offering, and a high level of customer service, have all helped it to
establish long-term customer relationships and achieve the number one
market position in North America in multiple premium product
categories. With more than 620 distinct products with diversity of
package size, color and presentation, WNA generates industry leading
margins and dominates the premium end of the plastic foodservice
disposables market with its Masterpiece(TM), Reflections(TM) and
Classicware(TM) product lines.
Joseph S Levy, CVC Managing Partner, stated, "We are looking
forward to our partnership with the WNA management team and are
excited about WNA's history of product innovation and the continued
growth opportunity going forward. WNA differentiates itself as a
one-stop shop for its customers with its broad product offering, and
with new technologies and proprietary value-added products under
development, the Company is well-positioned for continued growth."
Prior to this transaction, WNA was a portfolio company of Code
Hennessy & Simmons LLC. Ropes & Gray LLP provided legal services and
SG Americas Securities, LLC a subsidiary of Societe Generale Corporate
and Investment Banking served as financial advisor in connection with
this transaction.
For more information, please visit www.wna.biz.
About Citicorp Venture Capital
CVC, founded in 1968, is Citi Alternative Investments (CAI)
leveraged buyout platform focused on making control equity investments
in U.S.-based middle-market companies. Transactions are generally
between $100 million and $500 million. CVC supports experienced
management teams in companies best-positioned to benefit from changing
industries. Its strategy is to identify market leaders operating in
dynamic sectors leading to superior growth and value creation.
CAI is an alternative investment platform that manages a wide
range of products across five asset classes, including private equity,
hedge funds, real estate, structured products and infrastructure. CAI
manages capital on behalf of Citi, as well as third-party
institutional and high net worth investors. As of June 30, 2007, CAI
had approximately $59.2 billion of un-levered assets under management,
ranking CAI among the world's largest alternative asset managers.
CAI's goal is to enable its 16 investment centers to retain the
entrepreneurial qualities required to capitalize on evolving
opportunities, while benefiting from the intellectual, operational and
financial resources of Citi.
About Norwest Equity Partners
Since its founding in 1961, Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) has
earned a reputation as one of the premier private equity investment
firms in the United States providing middle market companies with the
capital they need to reach their goals. The firm focuses on providing
equity investments of $20-$100 million in growing and profitable
companies through management buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth
financings. NEP has in excess of $3 billion in capital under
management and is currently investing NEP VIII, an $800 million fund.
Visit www.nep.com for more information on NEP's portfolio and
investment team.
