Apax Global Alpha Limited
Funds advised by Apax
complete acquisition of WGSN
Apax Global Alpha Limited
("AGA"), the closed-ended investment company providing access to
the Apax Private Equity Funds, today announced that it has invested
approximately €21.5m in WGSN on a look-through
basis1.
On 1st February
2024, the Apax XI Fund ("Apax
XI"), in which AGA is a limited partner, announced that it had
closed the acquisition of WGSN, a leading
consumer trend forecaster, from Ascential plc (LSE:
ASCL).
Founded in 1998, WGSN is the world's
leading consumer trend forecaster. WGSN's data and forecasts
provide global trend insights across a wide range of industries,
including fashion, beauty, food & drink, interiors, and
consumer technology. The WGSN platform enables clients to make
critical design and purchasing decisions. The Company has been
experiencing strong growth in recent years with a revenue CAGR of
8% from 2016 to 2022.
In partnership with the Apax Funds,
WGSN will focus on enhancing and expanding its product design and
consumer insight products across a wide range of consumer-facing
industries, ensuring their expanding global client base make the
right critical design and buying decisions to future-proof and
accelerate their own growth.
Apax has extensive experience
partnering with businesses in the information and data space,
including the Apax Funds' prior investments in sports-data
specialist Genius Sports and workforce screening solutions provider
Accurate Background. Apax also has substantial experience in B2B subscription sales from the Apax Funds'
historical marketplace investments.
Note that AGA's investment in WGSN
is calculated based on the look-through position of Apax XI's
overall investment in WGSN1 and is translated based on
the latest exchange rates available where
applicable2.
AGA, whose shares are listed on the
London Stock Exchange, provides investors with access to a
diversified portfolio of private equity funds advised by Apax as
well as a focused portfolio of mostly debt investments. In June
2022, AGA made a commitment of c. $700m to Apax
XI.3
For more information about the
transaction, please visit:
https://www.apax.com/news/press-releases/
END
Contact details
Investor Relations - AGA
Katarina Sallerfors
T: +44 7436908492
E:
katarina.sallerfors@apax.com
Footnotes
|
1.
|
Apax XI is yet to hold a final
close. Figures are based on assumed final commitments and are
subject to change.
|
|
2.
3.
|
Based on Bloomberg closing EUR/USD
FX rate on 30 January 2024 of 1.0845.
AGA's commitment in Apax XI of c.$700m represents a commitment of
$490m in the USD tranche and €198.4.m in the euro
tranche.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
|
1.
|
Note that references in this
announcement to Apax Global Alpha Limited have been abbreviated to
"AGA" or "the Company". References to Apax Partners LLP have been
abbreviated to "Apax Partners", "Apax", or "the Investment
Adviser"
|
|
2.
|
Please be advised that this
announcement may contain inside information as stipulated under the
Market Abuse Regulations (EU) NO. 596/2014 ("MAR")
|
|
3.
|
This announcement is not for
release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in
whole or in part, into or within the United States or to "US
persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the United States
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act")) or into
or within Australia, Canada, South Africa or Japan. Recipients of
this announcement in jurisdictions outside the UK should inform
themselves about and observe any applicable legal requirements in
their jurisdictions. In particular, the distribution of the
announcement may be restricted by law in certain
jurisdictions
|
|
4.
|
The information presented herein is
not an offer for sale within the United States of any equity shares
or other securities of Apax Global Alpha Limited ("AGA"). AGA has
not been and will not be registered under the US Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"). In
addition, AGA's shares (the "Shares") have not been and will not be
registered under the Securities Act or any other applicable law of
the United States. Consequently, the Shares may not be offered or
sold or otherwise transferred within the United States, or to, or
for the account or benefit of, US Persons, except pursuant to an
exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act
and under circumstances which will not require AGA to register
under the Investment Company Act. No public offering of the Shares
is being made in the United States
|
|
5.
|
This announcement may include
forward-looking statements. The words "expect", "anticipate",
"intends", "plan", "estimate", "aim", "forecast", "project" and
similar expressions (or their negative) identify certain of these
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are
statements regarding AGA's intentions, beliefs or current
expectations concerning, among other things, AGA's results of
operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth and
strategies. The forward-looking statements in this presentation are
based on numerous assumptions regarding AGA's present and future
business strategies and the environment in which AGA will operate
in the future. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they
relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not
occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance
or achievements of AGA to be materially different from those
expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Many of
these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond
AGA's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future
market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other
market participants, the actions of regulators and other factors
such as AGA's ability to continue to obtain financing to meet its
liquidity needs, changes in the political, social and regulatory
framework in which AGA operates or in economic or technological
trends or conditions. Past performance should not be taken as an
indication or guarantee of future results, and no representation or
warranty, express or implied, is made regarding future performance.
AGA expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release
any updates or revisions to these forward-looking statements to
reflect any change in AGA's expectations with regard thereto or any
change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any
statement is based after the date of this announcement, or to
update or to keep current any other information contained in this
announcement. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on
the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
this announcement.
|
About Apax Global Alpha Limited
AGA is a Guernsey registered
closed-ended investment Company listed on the London Stock
Exchange. It is regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services
Commission.
AGA's objective is to provide
shareholders with capital appreciation from its investment
portfolio and regular dividends. The Company is targeting an
annualised Total Return, across economic cycles, of 12-15% (net of
fees and expenses) including a dividend yield of 5% of Net Asset
Value.
The Company makes Private Equity
investments in Apax Funds, and has a portfolio of primarily debt
investments, derived from the insights gained via Apax's Private
Equity activities.
Further information regarding the
Company and its publications are available on the Company's website
at www.apaxglobalalpha.com.
About Apax
Apax Partners LLP ("Apax") is a
leading global private equity advisory firm. For 50 years, Apax has
worked to inspire growth and ideas that transform businesses. The
firm has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of
more than $65 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across
four global sectors of Tech, Services, Healthcare and
Internet/Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing
to build and strengthen world-class companies. For further
information about Apax, please visit www.apax.com.
Apax is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.