-
2 weeks ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
A recent burst of acquisitions targeting publicly listed clothing and shoe companies signals a growing appetite for undervalued targets in the apparel industry. The flurry of activity comes as the sector contends with persistent challenges from unstable consumer demand, heightened competition and tariff uncertainty.
-
3 weeks ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
Dick’s Sporting Goods agreed Thursday to acquire the struggling retail chain Foot Locker for $2.4 billion. Foot Locker’s shareholders will receive $24 per share, a roughly 66% premium on Foot Locker’s 60-day average share price, at a deal multiple of around six times fiscal 2024 adjusted EBITDA. The deal is the latest in a wave of M&A activity targeting apparel and footwear brands seeking new ownership amid volatile public markets and ongoing concerns over tariff risks.
-
3 weeks ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi |Janelle Bradley
The US and China inked a deal over the weekend to pause their steep reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a move that buoyed financial markets and sent global stocks rallying on Monday. However, the private equity industry remained more reserved in response to the temporary truce. The 90-day framework stipulates that the US will drop the 145% tariff imposed in April to 30%, while China will lower its tariffs on US imports from 125% to 10%.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
KKR is actively seizing buying opportunities and increasing its exposure overseas while the US battles trade tensions and economic uncertainty. The asset manager has deployed more than $30 billion in private markets year-to-date, including over $10 billion invested in the four weeks following the announcement of new tariffs—a move attributed during Thursday’s earnings call to the company’s strategy to “play offense” despite the volatility.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
For over a century, Capezio has woven itself into the lives of generations of ballerinas—dressing dancers from their first plié to their final bows. On April 21, the 138-year-old dancewear-maker embraced its first institutional backer—Argand Partners, a middle-market private equity firm based in New York.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
Private capital executives and dealmakers say M&A is on hold due to shifting tariff policies and other market uncertainties, which are hobbling their ability to value and fund deals. Yet, in the past few weeks, I have seen no shortage of outsized transactions commanding attention. Global Payments, for instance, announced a $24.25 billion acquisition of Worldpay, where GTCR holds a majority stake.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
Mubadala, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, is sinking its teeth deeper into the private credit market—this time, by leveraging its strategic stake in Fortress, a well-versed credit investor. Mubadala said Thursday it signed a strategic partnership with Fortress to deploy $1 billion in private credit, asset-based lending and real estate strategies, managed by the credit specialist. The team-up follows the sovereign wealth fund’s earlier investment in Fortress.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
BC Partners’ $8 billion private credit arm is poised to seize on opportunities to originate loans to founder-owned companies and provide “rainy day capital” to borrowers impacted by tariff turmoil. In March, the division closed its third special opportunities fund, a $1.42 billion vehicle 18% larger than its 2021 predecessor, revealing demand for diversified credit strategies beyond direct lending.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Janelle Bradley |Madeline Shi
Intel will sell a 51% stake in its Altera business to Silver Lake, valuing the programmable chip developer at $8.75 billion, or about half what the semiconductor giant paid for the business in 2015. And yet, the transaction represents the largest PE-backed carveout in North America in the past five years, according to Garrett Hinds, PitchBook’s senior private equity analyst.
-
1 month ago | 
pitchbook.com | Madeline Shi
Abrupt tariff changes and related uncertainties have chilled private equity deal activity, halted expansion plans and forced PE-backed companies over the last few days to scrutinize their supply chains more closely. While President Donald Trump announced a 90-day tariff reprieve Wednesday, some believe the uncertainty is far from over, and the lingering unease will keep activity in tariff-sensitive sectors muted.
