Dear Reader,
You are receiving this mail every week as we see you as a key partner and we look forward to continuing to enjoy our journey with you over the decades ahead.
Please find below this week’s newsletter covering the latest M&A, company performance, fundraisings and executive moves.
Just a gentle reminder that we are taking part in the Growth Capital Summit 2019, which is taking place on May 30th at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road. We will be speaking about the value that equity investment can bring to a growing business – from the peace of mind a business owner can get from selling a stake in their company to the value a strategic partner can bring in maximising the potential of a business.
It is an excellent initiative being organised by The Business Post about growth financing options and the more SMEs in Ireland can educate themselves on funding options available in the market, the better chance we have of seeing our SMEs reach their potential.
Event details and tickets are still available here: https://capitalsummit.ie/
Deal Details: Thermo Fisher Scientific has agreed on a deal to buy a manufacturing plant in Cork from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for c. €90m in cash. The sale will see the ownership of the site, including all facilities, business operations and c. 400 employees transfer to Thermo Fisher. The Cork site will expand capacity to meet customer demand for the development and commercial manufacturing of complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for treating conditions such as cancer, depression and Parkinson’s.
Advisers: None mentioned.
Renatus Comment: Thermo Fisher employs c. 70,000 employees globally and has annual revenues of more than $24bn. This announcement follows the recently completed acquisition of Brammer Bio, a leader in viral vector manufacturing for gene and cell therapies.
Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Deal Details: Testing, Inspection, Certification & Compliance (TICC) Services specialist Phenna Group has acquired Building Envelope Technologies Ltd (BET). Headquartered in Nottingham, UK, Phenna Groups’ aim is to invest in and partner with selected niche, independent TICC companies that serve a variety of sectors. This is the fourth acquisition made by Phenna Group since it was formed less than 12 months ago. Phenna Group is supported by CVC Credit Partners.
BET was established in 2001 and is an accredited ISO: 17025 testing laboratory, based in Co Wexford. Since then, BET has built a strong reputation as a leading provider of building airtightness testing, acoustic performance testing of buildings, weather performance testing on building façade systems and building defect analysis in Ireland. Brian Shannon, MD of BET will continue in his current role, along with the company’s existing workforce.
Advisers: Raymond Donegan and Ailbhe Doyle of IBI Corporate Finance, along with Shaun O’Shea and Deirdre Cahill of Beauchamps acted for BET. Phenna Group were advised by MJ Hudson, London and Eversheds, Dublin. Anthony O’Boyle and Michael Neary of Grant Thornton provided Corporate Finance advice for the purchaser.
Renatus Comment: With a backdrop of increasing regulation and focus on quality standards across many industries, the TICC sector is enjoying a period of attractive growth. Globally, the sector appears highly fragmented and consolidation is beginning to happen.
In Ireland there are a number of indigenous TICC companies, each one generally focusing on a specific industry. With a focus on providing assurance services to the new build construction sector, BET has enjoyed a period of strong growth in the recent past. The Company has plans to further develop its services and the partnership with Phenna Group will enable it to accelerate that agenda.
Deal Details: The proposed acquisition by Swift Spraoi Holdings Ltd of the control of Sport Surgery Clinic Ltd has been cleared by the CCPC. Swift Spraoi Holdings Ltd is a newly incorporated company, in which CCIF Sport S.á.r.l. and Mr Joseph Keaveny each have a 50% shareholding. CCIF Sport S.á.r.l. is owned by Carlyle Cardinal Ireland Fund L.P..
Sports Surgery Clinic Ltd is the operating company of Sports Surgery Clinic, Santry, Dublin 9. Macradi Ltd is the Clinic’s property company. Macradi Development Ltd is the Clinic’s development company. Sanway Properties Ltd is a company holding land which the Clinic wishes to use for expansion. The Sports Surgery Clinic is a private hospital dedicated to orthopaedics and sports medicine.
Source: CCPC
Deal Details: Davy has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in the Limerick-based financial planner, Metis Ireland. Metis has almost €200m in assets under management and was founded by Karl Daly and Carl Widger. Davy plans to acquire Karl Daly’s 50% while Carl Widger will retain his shareholding and continue his role as CEO of the Metis business.
The deal is awaiting regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Ireland.
Source: The Sunday Times
Deal Details: Goodbody Stockbrokers, Ireland’s second largest stockbroker, is reported to have recently received a number of unsolicited approaches by potential acquirers. These approaches follow the ending of talks in January of this year with a Chinese consortium who had agreed to buy the business for €150m. Talks ended after a protracted regulatory approval process.
Source: The Sunday Times
Deal Details: It is reported that RTE has appointed KMPG to review strategic options for the RTE Guide and the process is expected to lead to a sale of the magazine in the near future. The RTE Guide is Ireland’s best-selling magazine, with average circulation in 2018 of 43,195 per week and its Christmas edition sells almost 300,000 copies.
Source: The Sunday Times
Deal Details: Canadian business Just Energy Group is to dispose of its Irish business unit, along with its German and Japanese operations in a strategic move which will see the New York Stock Exchange listed business to focus on its core operations in the US and UK.
Just Energy’s Irish business unit entered the market less than two year’s ago and the parent company is targeting a sale of the business unit within the next 12 months.
Source: Just Energy Group
We in Renatus believe that more important than the deals are the people and we have teamed up with leaders in this field Korn Ferry to provide you details of key recent executive and board level appointments
Dell Technologies appoints new Irish general manager
Dell Technologies has appointed a new general manager for its Irish business. Former BT and Microsoft executive Mark Hopkins, who has been Dell’s public sector and northern director for a year, will take over the general manager’s role from Aisling Keegan. Ms Keegan was recently appointed vice-president and general manager of consumer and small business for Dell’s European business. Mr Hopkins will be responsible for driving the company’s commercial business in the Republic and the North.
Morgan Stanley appoints global executive to Irish role
Morgan Stanley has appointed Paul Price, global head of distribution at its investment management unit, to head a Dublin investment arm as it prepares for Brexit. Mr Price became chief executive of MSIM Ireland late last year. He joined Morgan Stanley in London in 2010 from Pioneer Investments, where he was head of institutional business for four years. He will continue to perform his global role alongside his new responsibilities. Mr Price is based in Dublin, where the bank has had a presence since 2006 through its fund-services unit.
Datalex appoints former Google finance director as new CFO
Datalex has appointed Niall O’Sullivan as its new chief financial officer. Mr O’Sullivan joins from Google where he had responsibility for accounting, financial compliance and contractual controls for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Irish Times board appointment
Shay Garvey has been appointed as a non-executive director to the board of The Irish Times. Mr Garvey is a co-founder of Frontline Ventures, an early stage technology investor in Ireland and the UK. Since the early 1990s, he has worked in the start-up community in Ireland, initially as an entrepreneur and more recently as an investor. He spent the early part of his career working in American corporates (Exxon, Corning, McKinsey) across the US, France and UK. He currently chairs the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin and is also chair of the Social Reform Fund in Ireland, Genio.
PineBridge hires CEO for Irish branch
PineBridge Investments has hired Mick Sweeney as chief executive officer of PineBridge Investments Ireland Ltd. Mr Sweeney was most recently CEO of Bank of Ireland Wealth Management as well as interim CEO of the group’s New Ireland Assurance unit, the second-largest pension and life assurance provider in Ireland. At Bank of Ireland, he also held several senior roles including serving as CEO for their asset management business. Mr Sweeney is based in Dublin and reports to Klaus Schuster, head of Europe at PineBridge Investments.
EBITDA is an accounting term and is often the best indicator of profitability in non-capital-intensive businesses before financing and tax are considered. In capital-intensive businesses EBIT or EBITDA less average Capital Expenditure are often better measures. YoY is an acronym for the year-on-year movement in turnover, EBITDA, etc.
Flynn is an Irish construction and fit-out company with three offices in Ireland as well as bases in London and Copenhagen. The company has worked on projects including Dublin airport’s T1 departures lounge and the Jameson distillery. Flynn has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, beneficiaries of the commercial building boom in Dublin and beyond. In FY15, the company had revenues of c. €39.0m which have grown to c. €133.6m today, after a 26.7% increase this year alone. EBITDA has tracked the turnover rise to stand at c. €3.1m for FY18, up 11.0% from a year previous. There was a €1.0m dividend paid during the year while a net increase in working capital also drained cash. There was a net cash increase of c. €49k at the end of the year to leave an ending cash balance of c. €11.3m. Flynn had net assets of c. €8.3m at the end of the year and is wholly owned by Kevin and Michael Flynn.
Laois-based Coolrain Sawmills was established in 1984 and today is one of Ireland’s largest producers of timber pallet and fencing material for manufacturing industries. The company also runs ‘Graden Living’, a retailer of predominantly wooden children’s outdoor play equipment and playground accessories as well as a range of sheds, gazebos and fencing. In their most recent financial year, the company saw revenue increase by 5.9% to c. €14.3m while EBITDA increased by 14.8% to c. €1.3m. 44.4% of the sales were in Ireland with the remainder in the UK. The company spent c. €1.4m during the year, predominantly on plant & machinery, and took out new loans of c. €900k which were the biggest cash movement during the year. Coolrain finished the year with a cash increase of c. €121k to leave a closing cash balance of c. -€217k against a debt balance of c. €3.3m. Coolrain is wholly owned by Declan Hutchinson.
Regal Processors Limited, based in Craigavon, is a manufacturer of functional proteins and is part of the American Protein Corporation. During the fiscal year ending Dec’18, the company experienced an 11% growth in sales to c. £13.2m and a c. 5% growth in EBITDA to £4.3m. During the period, the company employed 31 staff at an annual cost of c. £1.6m, up from c. £1.3m a year earlier, and there was a two percentage point decline in gross margins to 38.4%. Regal spent c. £660k on CapEx in FY18, the majority of which was classified as assets under construction. There is no debt on the balance sheet versus a cash balance of c. £200k. The company also paid a £4.5m dividend, up from c. £1.3m a year earlier, to its parent company. The company’s ultimate parent is Lauridsen Group Inc., a USA incorporated entity.
Who: Nextdoor, the neighbourhood social network led by Tyrone born Sarah Friar, has raised fresh funding.
What: The funding round of $123m was led by Riverwood Capital, with participation from existing investors Benchmark, Tiger Global Management and Kleiner Perkins, and new participation from a large global asset manager.
Why: San Francisco based Nextdoor will use the money to accelerate its growth. It currently operates in the USA, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Australia, and is growing into Sweden and Denmark.
Source: Nextdoor
Who: Gym management software start-up Glofox, which was founded by former Connacht rugby player Conor O’Loughlin, has secured funding.
What: Glofox has secured a $10m Series A funding round, led by London’s Octopus Ventures with participation from Dublin venture capital firm Tribal VC, Partech and Notion Capital.
Why: O’Loughlin stated that the funding would help its international expansion “while continually offering the features they need to maintain authentic relationships with customers”.
Source: Glofox
Who: Belfast-based data analytics firm Datactics has secured funding.
What: Par Equity, the Edinburgh investment fund, has co-invested with Kernel Capital to take a £1.2m stake in the data analytics firm.
Why: The company stated part of the funding would go towards hiring additional key personnel for its head office, along with other ambitious growth plans.
Source: Datactics
Who: Plotbox, a county Antrim-based company that makes cemetery management software has secured funding.
What: Par Equity has also taken a £2m stake in Plotbox in partnership with London private equity group, Ironbridge Capital.
Why: The funding will be used to improve the functionality of its software and to expand sales and marketing efforts.
Source: BBC
Who: Manna, an Irish start-up which is looking to deploy autonomous drones to deliver takeaways, has raised funding.
What: The company has raised c. €10m in an oversubscribed round. The exact amount raised in the funding round has not been disclosed but Elkstone Capital and Frontline Ventures are among the five venture capital firms that participated.
Why: The funding will be used to help develop its existing business activities. The company, which was founded and is led by former Cartrawler CTO Bobby Healy, is shortly to seek regulatory approval from the Irish Aviation Authority to allow it to begin rolling out its own aviation grade drones in the Republic.
Source: Irish Times
Who: Dublin-headquartered Falcon Oil & Gas is looking to raise funding through a share placing.
What: The company is looking to raise up to $10m (€8.9m). The shares are being placed at a price of 14p (16 cent) per share. The placing, is being conducted through a book building process, which is being managed by Davy, RBC Capital Markets and Cenkos Securities.
Why: Proceeds from the placing will be used to fund Falcon’s expenditure on the drilling and fracking of four horizontal wells in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Australia.
Source: Falcon Oil & Gas
Who: Dublin-based InnaLabs, a developer of high-tech components (sensors, gyroscopes and accelerometers) for civilian and military vehicles. The business was founded in Russia in 2003 before moving its operations to Ireland in 2012.
What: The company has secured a €5m loan deal from
Luxembourg-based Harbert Speciality Lending, a high-growth and tech-focused lender.
Why: The reported use of the loan is the continued funding of the business’s operations.
Source: The Sunday Times
Who: Online fashion business FrickAdvisor, co-founded by Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney, which operates an online and app platform that recommends online boutiques for shoppers.
What: The company has secured a fresh investment of more than €561,000. Some of the investors in the business include CPL’s Anne Heraty, Bitbuzz founder Shane Deasy, RedLeader Systems owner Alex French. The business had previously raised €500,000 in 2015.
Why: Specific use of the funding round is not reported however it is likely to be used to fund the continued development of the platform and business.
Source: The Sunday Times
Who: Workforce management software business, Bizimply.
What: The company has secured a fresh funding round of €2m. Investors include U2’s Bono, Tweak’s Jerry Connelly, XSellco’s Ray Nolan, Causeway Capital and VC fund 500 Startups.
Why: Specific use of the funding round is not reported however it is likely to be used to fund the continued development of the platform and business.
Source: The Sunday Times
Padraig Ó’Ceidigh very practically called for the Seanad to look at the SME sector and an interesting report was launched during the week.
As ever it reminds us that SMEs are the biggest employer in the state and count for 99% of the companies here. Often in the quest for foreign direct investment and high growth exports, we take our core pillar of the economy for granted and anything which helps address how to preserve and grow what we have should be welcome and applauded. There are 129 recommendations coming from the report which seems a lot to try and track from actions ensuing. It will also need more focus from the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation rather than a new junior ministerial role in my own opinion.
The areas I have picked out at that are no surprise but should be dealt with are:
3.9%
The price growth of Irish residential property in the year to March, with Dublin prises rising by 1.2% and residential property prices excluding Dublin rising 6.8% higher for the same period.
@CSOIreland
23.2%
The year-on-year rise in new home completions as of Q1 2019, with 4,275 homes being completed in Q1 2019 compared to 3,470 in Q1 2018.
@CSOIreland
€1,366
The national average cost of renting a home in the first three months of this year, showing a year-on-year rise of 8% while also reaching an all-time high, with Dublin rents alone showing a year-on-year increase of 6.8%. According to @daftmedia @thejournal_ie
€6,258m
Ireland’s trade surplus for February 2019, a year-on-year rise of €2,278m (36%).
@CSOIreland
56.6
The Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index for the month of April, up from 55.9 in March, signalling a sharp expansion of construction activity. According to the latest Ulster Bank Index.
@IndoBusiness
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