Elis Acquires Brazil’s Atmosfera Group
Elis, a leading European launderer, recently announced that it will increase its presence in the international market by purchasing the industrial laundry group Atmosfera, a market leader in Brazil, according to news reports.
Elis, which operates under the French investment group Eurazeo, is acquiring Atmosfera from Advent International and Alothon group, two private equity firms. The acquisition will be completed in the first quarter of 2014. “We are very pleased to enable Elis to penetrate such a promising market as Brazil by acquiring the local leader, which will benefit from all its industrial and commercial expertise,” said Eurazeo’s Manager Director Marc Frappier.
Atmosfera has eight industrial sites and processes 95,000 tons of laundry annually to healthcare, industrial and hotel sectors. It delivers goods to 2,800 clients from the healthcare, industrial and hospitality sectors, and employs 3,500 people. The company was expected to generate BRL 280 million (roughly $117 million) in 2013, the reports said.
After monitoring Brazil’s market for several years, Elis made an initial foray in 2013 into a work clothing business. Once it confirmed the viability of that business, Elis followed Eurazeo’s growth strategy and pursued Atmosfera. It is one of 20 transactions outside of France and boosts Elis’ revenue from international business to more than 25%. “Atmosfera is a terrific company, with a unique Brazilian coverage and unparalleled industrial facilities in Latin America,” says Elis CEO Xavier Martire. “This acquisition marks a turning point in the history of Elis international development with a strong foothold in an emerging country that we had been targeting for a long time.” With the acquisition of Atmosfera, Brazil will become Elis’ second largest market, outside of Europe. For details, click here.