Bregal Partners, which acquired Shock Doctor last month, has committed $100 million to invest in enthusiast consumer brands through a new partnership with golf industry veteran Michael Magerman.
Bregal Partners has initially committed $100 million to future investments, targeting product companies with authentic brands that resonate with passionate and highly-involved consumers.
Magerman, who has joined Bregal as a senior advisor, started his career as the CEO of Odyssey Sports, a golf company he founded in 1990 and sold in 1997. Subsequently, he held CEO roles at Bravo Sports, a globa maker of sporting and outdoor goods, and most recently at Quickie Manufacturing, a manufacturer of branded cleaning tools, he helped build and sell to Jarden Corporation in 2010.
“We are delighted to be partnering again with Michael, with whom we have had a close relationship for more than 15 years,” said Bregal Partners Co-Founder and Managing Partner Robert Bergmann. “He is a world-class CEO with an impressive track record of building and profitably growing branded consumer businesses, as well as an intuitive sense of what drives consumer behavior.”
Based in New York City, Bregal Partners is part of Bregal Investments, which is itself part of COFRA Holding AG, a European holding company for a privately-owned group of companies that includes C&A, the 1,800-store clothing retailer, and Redevco, which owns 700 properties in Europe valued at more than €7 billion. Bregal Partners has until now focused on middle market companies in the Consumer, Food and Retail; Energy Services and Healthcare sectors. It typically invests $25-$75 million in equity, and up to $150 million with other Bregal Investments investors, in companies that generate $10 million to $75 million or more in EBITDA.
The goal of the partnership with Magerman is to invest in authentic consumer brands and work with owners and management teams to tap potential and build long-term value, said Bregal Partners Co-Founder and Managing Partner Scott Perekslis.
Magerman said he knows from having worked with Bregal Partners in the past, that they are focused on preserving the history and authenticity of the businesses in they invest.
“I am thrilled to be working with them again to help build another consumer business,” he said. “I know I could not have found a better partner.”
Magerman has led the development and managed the execution of strategic growth and profitability plans as the CEO for Quickie Manufacturing, Bravo Sports, Tommy Armour Golf, Marc Scot Apparel, and Odyssey Golf. Currently, he is a board member of Bregal Partners’ portfolio company Shock Doctor, which Bregal Partners acquired March 17. Bregal Partners also owns a stake in Surf City USA Marathon and Half Marathon, which is a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon.
Magerman holds two patents on the design and technology of inserts for golf putters. He was awarded Advertising Age’s Top 100 Marketers in the United States and a Gold Effie from the New York Advertisers Association and holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA and an MBA from the University of San Diego.
