Industry-Leading Provider of In-Store Marketing Solutions Positioned for Continued Growth
Oak Hill Capital Partners ("Oak Hill") announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Imagine! Print Solutions ("Imagine!" or "the Company") from its founder, Bob Lothenbach. Imagine! is a differentiated provider of printed in-store marketing solutions, delivering unparalleled quality and service on point-of-purchase and point-of-sale marketing campaigns. Oak Hill is investing in partnership with Mr. Lothenbach, who will retain a significant minority ownership position, and the Imagine! management team.
Founded in 1988, Imagine! (together with its subsidiary Classic Graphics) provides retailers and other enterprises with a single-point solution for their complex in-store and brand-based marketing needs. Over almost three decades, Imagine! has developed industry leading capabilities for in-store signage and displays and a "customer first" service culture that has resulted in demonstrable advantages in quality, speed, flexibility, and all-in cost. The Company's suite of value-added services yields substantial efficiency gains at each phase of the value chain (design, production, and fulfillment) and helps position Imagine! as a trusted and valued partner to its customers.
Tyler Wolfram, Managing Partner at Oak Hill, said, "Imagine! is an industry leader in a large and attractive market, and it has an impressive track record of double-digit growth since its founding in 1988. We are excited to partner with Bob and his talented management team to support the Company through its next phase of growth. This transaction is consistent with Oak Hill's longstanding theme-based investment philosophy and systematized approach to value creation, and builds upon our thirty year history of investing behind leading entrepreneurs and management teams."
Bob Lothenbach commented, "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Oak Hill. Imagine!'s outstanding management team and I selected Oak Hill as our preferred partner due to their strong industry knowledge, best-in-class operating talent, and appreciation for Imagine!'s culture. Together, we will execute on our shared vision for the future and help Imagine! reach its full potential. I am excited for what is to come. I look forward to Imagine! delivering more value to more customers, and carrying on the tradition of superior service that has defined the business since I first founded it many years ago."
Kevin Mailender, Partner at Oak Hill, said, "We have tremendous respect for Imagine!'s heritage, its value-added business model, and the trusted customer relationships it has cultivated over its impressive history. We believe Imagine! is well positioned to sustain its track record of outsized growth, and we are excited to take the business into the future."
The transaction, which is subject to HSR approval and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisors to Imagine! in the transaction. RBC Capital Markets and Societe Generale and their affiliates have underwritten and will arrange first lien financing in connection with the transaction. Dorsey & Whitney LLP is serving as legal counsel to Imagine!. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to Oak Hill.
