M&A Deal Summary

Mothercare Acquires Early Learning Centre

On April 29, 2007, Mothercare acquired education company Early Learning Centre from Rhône Group for 85M GBP

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Mothercare’s 1st transaction in the Education sector.
  • This is Mothercare’s 0th largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is Mothercare’s 1st transaction in the United Kingdom.

M&A Deal Summary
Date 2007-04-29
Target Early Learning Centre
Sector Education
Buyer(s) Mothercare
Sellers(s) Rhône Group
Deal Type Add-on Acquisition
Deal Value 85M GBP

Target

Early Learning Centre

Watford, United Kingdom
Early Learning Centre was founded in 1974 to provide a range of "learning through play" toys for pre-school age children (0-6 years). The company has grown to become one of the leading UK retailers in its sector with 213 stores throughout the country. ELC products are also available in 54 Debenhams stores and 300 Sainsbury's stores in the UK.

Search 202,137 Deals Now

SEARCH BY

  • Buyer Type (PE or Strategic)
  • Deal Size ($10M to $10B+)
  • Sector (60 Sectors)
  • Deal Type
  • Geography
  • & More

Try For Free 7-Day Free Trial

Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Mothercare

Watford, United Kingdom
Category Company
Sector Retail
DESCRIPTION

The Mothercare group is comprised principally of two iconic retail brands with international appeal; Mothercare and Early Learning Centre.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 1 of 1
Sector (Education) 1 of 1
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 1 of 1
Country (United Kingdom) 1 of 1
Year (2007) 1 of 1

Seller(S) 1

SELLER

Rhône Group

New York, New York, United States
Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1996
PE ASSETS 8.0B EUR
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Rhône Group is a private equity and financial advisory firm focused on large-scale buyouts across North America and Western Europe. Areas of interest include energy, materials, industrials, retail, consumer products, healthcare, and financial services. Rhône was formed in 1995 and has offices in New York, Paris, and London.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 2 of 17
Sector (Education) 1 of 1
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 1 of 4
Country (United Kingdom) 1 of 1
Year (2007) 2 of 3
Size (of disclosed) 7 of 9
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2007-02-27 Arizona Chemical

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Arizona Chemical Co. LLC is a producer and refiner of pine chemicals. Its products are environmentally-friendly and are used in thousands of everyday products including fragrances, personal care items, plastics, household cleaners, adhesives, printing inks, decorative pains, tires and rubber products.

Buy $485M
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2007-11-02 Almatis

Frankfurt, Germany

Almatis GmbH is a manufacture and supply of premium alumina and alumina-based products.

Sell $1.2B
Mergr

Product

Company

Legal