Investindustrial Invests in Eataly, a Global Italian Heritage Restaurant and Food Retail Group, to Strengthen International Expansion
An investment company of Investindustrial VII L.P. have signed an agreement to support the international growth of Eataly, the ambassador of ‘Made in Italy’ food, which for almost 20 years has been promoting the sale of high-quality Italian food products and restaurant concepts in prestigious locations globally.
The transaction provides for an investment of €200m and a concurrent purchase by Investindustrial of a part of the shares held by existing shareholders, which will lead to Investindustrial becoming the majority shareholder. The transaction provides that, at closing, Investindustrial will hold 52 percent of the company, with the existing shareholders Eatinvest (Farinetti family), the Baffigo / Miroglio family and Clubitaly (Tamburi Investment Partners) owning the remaining 48 percent of the company. The investment will allow Eataly to retire net financial debt and maximize financial flexibility for the Group’s global expansion plans.
Eataly runs its business according to a sustainability philosophy which aims to provide continuous support for local agri-food supply chains and the export of excellent food products. The capital injection reinforces the company’s role as the global ambassador of ‘Made in Italy’ food excellence through both the opening of flagship stores and the development of new formats, as well as enabling the acquisition of all the minority shares in Eataly’s existing US business.
Nicola Farinetti, who currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer, will assume the position of Chairman of the company. A new CEO will be announced shortly with the mission of leading the company into its next phase of growth on a global scale.
Investindustrial, the Farinetti family, the Baffigo/Miroglio family and Clubitaly (TIP) intend to continue to support the development of the business, both through opening new flagship stores and new formats in large cities, as well as continuing along the path of sustainability that has characterized Eataly since its inception.
Eataly’s growth will be supported by Investindustrial and its deep knowledge of the food sector and its presence in the Italian, European, North American and Asian markets. Headquarted in Italy, Eataly will continue to expand in foreign markets such as North America, where it is already active with 8 flagship stores and through continued development in Europe, as well as the Middle East and Asia, where the Group is present with 16 franchise stores.
Investindustrial has extensive experience in the food sector, in which it has recently invested more than €2.5 billion. To date, Investindustrial’s investments are supporting the global development of various historic and iconic Italian companies focused on three segments: (i) private label food products, such as La Doria, a leading European producer of legumes, peeled tomatoes, tomato sauce and fruit juices and a meal preparation business of Treehouse Foods; (ii) ingredients companies, such as CSM Ingredients, Italcanditi and Parker Food Group and food tech companies such Hi-Food and (iii) hospitality, through the Dispensa Emilia restaurant chain.