Alessandro Conte
Ethica Group
Equilibra
Deal Type
Company sale
Sector
Consumer
Completion Date
1st October 2018
Deal Value
Not disclosed
Company Background
Founded in 1987 by Mr. Franco Bianco, Equilibra has a leading positioning in the so-called ‘natural’ personal care segments, offering Skin Care and Hair Care products, and the nutritional supplements segment in Italy. Equilibra has a product offering and proposition based on its authentic Italian credentials using plant-based ingredients with functional benefits, such as Aloe, Karite’, Argan and Almond.
Equilibra is very well-positioned in the wellbeing space in Italy and its brand enjoys great recognition in the market.
Deal Summary
Ethica Corporate Finance advised the shareholders of Equilibra S.r.l. on the sale of a 75% stake to Unilever, which entered the key market of ‘natural’ personal care products in Italy and food supplements, with possibilities of further expanding the business worldwide.
Equilibra will be run as a standalone business with the continued presence of the Bianco Family and the current management team. Marco Bianco will be leading the business as CEO from its headquarter in Turin, and Franco Bianco will be Honorary Chairman.
Value Added
Ethica started working with Equilibra in January 2018, following a preliminary approach from a PE fund and Unilever sought by Ethica. The shareholders selected Unilever as the most suitable partner able to support an internationalization project in partnership with the Shareholders by acquiring a minority stake.
Ethica supported the management team and the shareholders in the business plan preparation supporting the negotiation with Unilever aiming at signing the transaction before the end of June to benefit from M&A tax benefits.
After signing the LoI, the VDR opened during the last week of May. Ethica’s team together with Equilibra were able to manage the whole Due Diligence process in four weeks. The effective management of the VDR led to a smooth Due Diligence process, ending with the SPA signing before the end of June.
