Wednesday, October 30, 2019
In the mid-2000s, Zobele Group, which between 2000 and 2006 saw its turnover increase from 122 to 240 million Euro, faced a new challenge: finding the right way to enable business to continue middle to long term, capitalising on what the family had succeeded in building so far, and the search for a new kind of ownership and governance that would further re-launch business potential.
The solution found was the transfer of a majority stake in the company to a trusted partner. The Group had already been approached around that time by other potential investors, but the combination of guarantees in terms of future management, keeping the family in the company, and price offered steered the choice towards the English Doughty Hanson & Co. Spring 2006 saw the first exploratory meetings, with the agreement being signed in the summer and the deal closed in December 2006.
The entry of the English fund was, for all intents and purposes, a momentous change for Zobele, particularly due to the reconfiguration of its industrial footprint, namely the strategic location of its production units worldwide.
