Buyout Investments

Spotless Group (Eau Ecarlate - Guaber - Punch)

Eau Ecarlate, founded in 1851, is the market leader in laundry and home cleaning products in France. AXA Private Equity purchased the company late in 2005. Following three consecutive ‘very financial’ buyouts, it was decided together with Pierre Le Tanneur, the chairman, to undertake a buyout focused on growth.

The company’s goal is to transform it from a French company into a pan-European group by means of targeted acquisitions in order to offer a complete range of laundry and household cleaning products on a European scale by 2010. In the last twelve months, Eau Ecarlate has acquired two companies (Guaber Household in Italy and Punch in Ireland) and now has a presence in six European countries. Revenues have doubled due to these two acquisitions.