CSR Cosmetic Solutions
Acting as exclusive advisor to the seller.
Background
CSR is an Ontario-based, contract manufacturer of cosmetics and personal care products. The CEO and sole owner had operated the business for over 15 years and was ready for a well-deserved retirement. A sale process run by a top-tier accounting firm in 2015 was unsuccessful.
Solution
Undeterred by the accounting firm’s result, our M&A Advisory team dug deep into the company’s performance and metrics. We identified 102 potential buyers, both strategic and financial, through a search that went global and surfaced only 26% Canadian prospects. We created an auction-like environment that yielded 8 offers by the deadline, with Korean and American buyers making the most aggressive proposals. We overcame major cultural differences with the eventual winner, a Korean publicly traded contract manufacturer, and arrived at a deal in the upper end of the initial value guidance. The post-acquisition integration process was highly productive and the company is now growing under new ownership.
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Versature
Versature is a rapidly growing Canadian VoIP service provider that had been through an unsuccessful sale process with another corporate finance firm. FirePower’s M&A Advisory team crafted a story highlighting Versature’s strong growth, brand, people and processes. The most compelling offer came from net2phone, a subsidiary of US public company, IDT. Under this new ownership, Versature is well-positioned to accelerate its growth trajectory.
Market Insights
From the archives: October 2020
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