Company officials believe the local market currently offers many investment opportunities, mainly due to Romanian entrepreneurs’ increased openness and to a high appetite for diversifying investment portfolios.
Almost one year ago, Resource Partners sold its majority stake in World Class Romania, a leading operator of fitness clubs in Romania, to Vectr Fitness.
“After the successful experience with World Class, the investment fund is targeting another two-three deals in Romania in the coming period (…). The investment tickets for these deals start from EUR5-7 million and can go up to EUR20-30 million. There is also an opening for co-investments of up to EUR50 million with institutional partners (IFC, EIF, EBRD) and with Romanian entrepreneurs,” said Aleksander Kacprzyk, Managing Partner and co-founder of Resource Partners.
The company also said that another part of its investment strategy for Romania is to integrate more companies from the CEE region, with the aim of creating strong regional players that can enter competitive markets in Western Europe and beyond.
“Resource Partners’ investment policy has been tailored to the local market. Traditionally, the focus of the Polish investment fund was on the consumer goods area as well as impact investing, circular economy and energy efficiency, but on the Romanian market, we target companies from all industries. We are looking at investment targets with EBITDA of over EUR1 million, growth prospects, a solid customer base and an appetite for international expansion. Today, we are meeting with companies in different sectors such as innovative equipment manufacturing, consumer health and food,” said Miruna Popa, Investment Associate at Resource Partners.
According to the company, Romanian entrepreneurs and managers would benefit from the over 20-year expertise of a complex investment team. The Resource Partners team comprises 15 investment professionals operating in the CEE region, all committed to investing in the Romanian market. They are represented by two investment officers in the local market, one of whom is Romanian – Miruna Popa.
The company also said that Polish bicycle manufacturer 7Anna, part of the Resource Partners portfolio since 2021, is scheduled to enter Romania with its products starting May 2023. By the end of 2023, its key brands Rondo (gravel and road bikes) as well as NS Bikes (MTB and downhill) models, will be available through 20 national distributors, and by 2025 the target is to increase this number to 65.
Resource Partners is an independent private equity fund established in 2009 by a team of investment managers with international experience, which have invested in the CEE region starting with 2000 on behalf of some top financial institutions and regional and international funds.