Britax Childcare Group

Deal Summary

Catalyst advised the management team of Britax Childcare on their £230 million institutional buy-out (IBO) backed by the Carlyle Group.

Britax Childcare is the world's leading global supplier of premium branded children's car seats with an estimated worldwide market share of 16%. It has built commanding positions in its core markets and operates under a number of leading brands supplying the world's major retailers, including well-known names such as Babies R Us, Sears, Halfords and Mothercare.

Based in Warwick, the company employs more than 900 people and sells more than 1.5 million seats per annum.

What difference did we make?

When the Britax business was earmarked for sale by Royal Bank of Scotland, management were keen to ensure that any leveraged deal allowed them to minimise the risk on the future viability of the business.

Our role initially encompassed advice to the team on the likely deal structures and then broadened to include negotiating terms for the equity investment by Carlyle Partners together with advice on the key terms of the debt raised from Barclays Bank.

Following completion of the transaction our role extended to running workshops for the divisional finance directors explaining how to operate within leveraged environments and also in supporting the company on the debt syndication process.