M&A Deal Summary

The Blackstone Group Acquires Tropical Smoothie Cafe

On April 24, 2024, private equity firm The Blackstone Group acquired restaurant Tropical Smoothie Cafe from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners and Golub Capital

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 4th transaction in the Restaurants sector.
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 204th transaction in the United States.
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 7th transaction in Georgia.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2024-04-24
Target Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Sector Restaurants
Buyer(s) The Blackstone Group
Sellers(s) Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
Golub Capital
Deal Type Secondary Buyout
Advisor(s) Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.
BofA Securities (Financial)
Kirkland & Ellis (Legal)

Target

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a franchisor of fast-casual cafes with over 1,400 locations in 44 states. It serves smoothies, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads across multiple dayparts. Tropical Smoothie Cafe was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

The Blackstone Group

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1987
PE ASSETS 131.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

The Blackstone Group is a global alternative investment management firm. The Firm's investment activities span real estate, secondary investments, hedge funds, credit, infrastructure, and private equity. Blackstone's private equity group targets opportunities globally including buyout acquisitions of established companies, development projects, growth equity financings, and industry consolidations. Sectors of interest include automotive, healthcare, chemicals, industrial, commercial property, lodging, communications, media/publishing, consumer & retail, packaging, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, energy, technology, entertainment, telecommunications, financial services, theme parks, food & beverage, and transportation. Blackstone's private equity real estate group looks for opportunities across North/South America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe. The real estate group will consider both equity and debt investments. Areas of interest include healthcare, hotel, industrial, office, residential, and retail. The Blackstone Group was formed in 1987 and is based in New York City.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 325 of 336
Sector (Restaurants) 4 of 4
Type (Secondary Buyout) 74 of 80
State (Georgia) 7 of 8
Country (United States) 204 of 211
Year (2024) 5 of 16
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-04-08 AIR Communities

Denver, Colorado, United States

AIR Communities is a real estate company with a portfolio of 76 communities totaling 27,010 apartment homes located in 10 states and the District of Columbia. AIR offers a predictable business model with focus on what we call the AIR Edge, the cumulative result of our focus on resident selection, satisfaction, and retention, as well as relentless innovation in delivering best-in-class property management. AIR Communities is based in Denver, Colorado.

Buy $10.0B
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-05-16 Priority

Rosh Haayin, Israel

Priority is a fully-integrated, comprehensive ERP software solution serving a wide spectrum of industries and organizations, including multi-national and multi-lingual corporations. Its main modules include: finance, manufacturing, logistics, human resources, time and attendance, payroll, business intelligence, project management and customer service and support. Priority was founded in 1986 and is based in Rosh Haayin, Israel.

Buy -

Seller(S) 2

SELLER

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners

Beverly Hills, California, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Mezzanine Finance Firm
Founded 1984
PE ASSETS 12.9B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) is a West Coast US based private investment firm that targets mezzanine and other structured equity investments in middle-market companies. The Firm has several funds, each with different strategies. LLCP's larger fund targets subordinated debt, preferred equity, and/or common equity investments in companies with $100 to $750 million of revenue. The Firm's smaller fund invests $5 to $15 million in emerging companies with less than $25 million in revenue. LLCP also invests in financially distressed businesses. LLCP was formed in 1984 and has offices in Beverly Hills, California; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; New York City; and London.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 57 of 57
Sector (Restaurants) 6 of 6
Type (Secondary Buyout) 30 of 30
State (Georgia) 3 of 3
Country (United States) 51 of 51
Year (2024) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-02-22 USA Water

Houston, Texas, United States

USA Water is a provider of operations and maintenance (“O&M”) services for water and wastewater systems across the Southeast United States. The Company’s non-discretionary services enable municipalities and utility districts to entrust their water infrastructure maintenance, asset management, and regulatory compliance needs to a professional partner of scale. USA Water is based in Houston, Texas.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2024-06-27 NSL Analytical Services

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

NSL Analytical Services is an independent, commercial materials testing laboratory. NSL Analytical services comprise a broad spectrum of analytical testing for quality control, failure analysis, product performance, and material selection and characterization including 3D Metals Material Testing, Inorganic Trace Element Analysis, 3D Metals Material Testing Inorganic Trace Element Analysis Metallurgical Evaluations Mechanical Testing Microscopy Evaluations Lead, and Phthalates Testing. NSL Analytical Services was founded in 1945 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Buy -
SELLER

Golub Capital

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Lender
Founded 1994
PE ASSETS 55.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Golub Capital is a private investment firm focused on making debt and equity investments in US based middle-market companies. Golub looks to invest between $5 and $75 million in businesses with established operating cash flow, strong customer relationships, and 'sustainable proprietary positions in their markets'. Prospective investment structures include refinancings, recapitalizations, buyouts, and growth financings. Sectors of interest include consumer products, business and consumer services, defense, manufacturing, value-added distribution, media, healthcare services and restaurants. Golub Capital was formed in 1994 and maintains offices in New York City, Atlanta, and Chicago.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 41 of 41
Sector (Restaurants) 3 of 3
Type (Secondary Buyout) 19 of 19
State (Georgia) 2 of 2
Country (United States) 39 of 39
Year (2024) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2023-11-30 Agility

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Agility provides business continuity and disaster recovery solutions to businesses of all sizes, including access to power generators, office space, communications, and computer systems. Agility Recovery was founded in 1989 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sell -