(Finance) – The Calzedonia group and the Wise Equity fund have signed a binding contract for the acquisition of Cantiere del Pardo (CdP), a leading company in the production of premium sailing and motor yachts. This is an exit for the Wise Equity fund, which had entered the capital of Cantiere del Pardo as an investor in December 2020 through the Wisequity V fund. The historic managers, Fabio Planamente and Gigi Servidatithey will keep one minority share in the society. The operation will be completed by October 2023.
Founded in 1973, Cantiere del Pardo has launched over five thousand boats under the Grand Soleil brand and more recently, under the Pardo Yachts and VanDutch brands. Also, it is recognized as one of the best luxury yacht manufacturers in the worldthanks to its history and tradition, to the deep design and construction knowledge and to the iconic design of its models.
The company has grown significantly since the arrival of Wise Equity as an investor in 2020, both in revenues and corporate structure, it said in a statement. With the arrival of the Calzedonia Group, Cantiere del Pardo will pursue international growth and new model developmentwith even greater attention to the quality and excellence of the service both for the distribution network and for the end customer, is underlined.
“Over the years, Calzedonia has shown that it knows how to grow steadily. Starting out as a company that only dealt with one product, it has developed into a group active in many markets and with many brands. Along with long-established companies such as Calzedonia, Intimissimi and Tezenis recent successes have been added such as Intimissimi Uomo, Falconeri, Signorvino and Atelier Emè – Sandro Veronesifounder and president of the Calzedonia Group – New challenges are now Antonio Marras and Cantiere del Pardo. Common factors are a typically Italian love for the product, together with heavy investments in production, distribution and communication”.
“We are proud to have accompanied the management team of CdP in the exciting growth path that the company has had in recent years – commented Michael Semenzato, Founding Partner of Wise Equity – CdP is a fantastic example of excellence in a sector where our country holds a leadership role. Under the guidance of Servidati and Planamente, the company has profoundly evolved compared to the one in which we had invested. The name Cantiere del Pardo and the brands it represents have definitively established themselves in the Olympus of the most prestigious brands in the nautical world; the management structure has grown and significantly strengthened; the model range has been considerably extended and production capacity has doubled.”