Vaaka Partners preps Unisport exit, Deloitte mandated

Auri Aittokallio , Kasper Viio and Gustav Hoejmark-Jensen
23 September 2022

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Vaaka Partners is preparing to launch a sale process to exit portfolio business Unisport, a pan-Nordic sports facility surfaces and equipment company, three sources familiar with the situation said.

Deloitte has recently been mandated as sellside adviser, two of the sources said, adding that advisor's Denmark-based team is handling the case.

The process is at an early stage of preparation, the sources said.

Unisport generated EUR 152m FY21 revenue, according to Vaaka Partners' website.

The company could attract interest from a larger European peer, two bankers tracking the situation said. Splitting the business and selling the outdoor and indoor facility parts separately could also be a potential scenario, one of the bankers suggested.

Unisport was established in 2015 when Sweden's Unisport and Finland's Saltex merged through a transaction facilitated by Vaaka Partners. Saltex had until then been run as a family business, while Unisport had been owned by Swedish private equity firm Priveq since 2008. Saltex was established in 1991, and Unisport in 1993, according to the announcement.

Unisports' products include air domes, artificial grass for football, artificial turf for landscaping, stadium and arena seating, sports flooring, school gymnastics, multi-use game areas, tennis surfaces, padel courts, outdoor gym equipment, ice rinks, and pump tracks, according to its website.

The company has offices in Finland, Sweden, Demark, and Norway, and also operates in the Netherlands. The group is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has approximately 350 employees, according to its LinkedIn profile.

Vaaka Partners and Deloitte declined to comment. Unisport did not return a request for comment.