FSN Capital IV signed an agreement with Holta Invest to acquire a majority stake in Active Brands, a Nordic supplier of premium sporting goods brands. Holta Invest, existing management and founders will re-invest alongside FSN Capital and continue to own a material stake in the company.
Active Brands manages a portfolio of sports apparel and equipment brands including Kari Traa, Dæhlie, Bula and Sweet Protection.
In partnership with FSN Capital, Active Brands aspires to reinforce its position in the Nordics and accelerate international growth through both organic and inorganic initiatives.
“We have admired Active Brands for a long time and have been impressed by the platform created by Holta Invest and the management team’s ability to develop truly unique brands with significant international growth potential. Our ambition is to build on Active Brands’ leading position in the Nordics and support further growth in North America and Central Europe together with our new partners,” said Erik Nelson, Partner at FSN Capital Partners AS, acting as adviser to FSN Capital IV.
“On behalf of the employees and management team of Active Brands, I am pleased to have FSN Capital as a new majority owner. Active Brands has developed in a fast pace and is today amongst the leading companies in the Nordic sporting goods industry. We are delivering solid growth across all geographies and I look forward to further developing the company,” said Active Brands CEO Espen Krogstad.
Holta Invest will retain a 20 percent ownership stake in Active Brands post the transaction. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals from the Norwegian competition authorities.
Photo courtesy Bula
