Harris Williams Advises Duke Street Private Equity on its Pending Acquisition of COMPO Consumer

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it is advising Duke Street Private Equity (Duke Street) on its pending acquisition of COMPO Consumer (COMPO), continental Europe’s largest producer and distributor of gardening soil, fertilizer, plant protection and lawn seeds, from China-based Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co. Ltd. (Kingenta). The transaction is being led by Ed Arkus, Andreas Poth and Stefan van de Ven of the Harris Williams Consumer Group and Daniel Wang, a managing director who leads the firm’s platform in Asia.

“COMPO is continental Europe’s market leader in gardening products for consumers, providing a comprehensive range of technically superior products under the most respected brand in the industry,” said Ed Arkus, a managing director at Harris Williams. “We look forward to watching COMPO continue to thrive with Duke Street, where it will have the opportunity to further grow organically and through acquisitions across Europe, as well as continue to build on its leadership position in the ESG space.”

“This transaction adds to the firm’s strong track record with Asia-based corporations and showcases our ability to seamlessly deliver successful client outcomes for complex transactions spanning multiple continents,” added Daniel Wang, a managing director at Harris Williams.

“By leveraging our consumer gardening sector knowledge, global platform and local team in Germany, we were able to provide high-impact, tailored advice to Duke Street,” said Andreas Poth, a director at Harris Williams.

Duke Street has been investing in mature, mid-market Western European companies for over 25 years across four sectors: consumer, healthcare, industrials and services. Duke Street has a proven model of value creation by successfully identifying unique opportunities and adding value to the companies it acquires. Duke Street has invested over 2.5 billion euros in more than 50 companies over the last 25 years and has achieved strong returns in excess of 25 percent IRR since inception.

COMPO is continental Europe’s leading provider of branded products for plants in home and garden, including potting soils, fertilizers, plant protection, pest control and lawn seeds. COMPO’s foundations were laid in the 1950s, when the company became the first supplier of potting soil in 'user-friendly' bags and since then developed a market leading positioning also in organic sustainable products. COMPO is headquartered in Muenster, Germany, employs over 750 people and has operations across nine locations in Germany, France and other European countries.

Kingenta is a publicly listed company and a leading producer of plant nutrition and crop solution products in China. Since its inception in 1998, Kingenta has developed into a renowned national innovative enterprise with more than RMB 6.9 billion in sales, more than 10,000 employees, and 7 million metric tons of annual production capacity.

Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC).

The Harris Williams Consumer Group has completed transactions across a variety of verticals, including branded consumer products; consumer services; food, beverage and agribusiness; and restaurant and retail. For more information on the Harris Williams Consumer Group and recent transactions, visit the Consumer Group’s section of the Harris Williams website.

Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschäftsführer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business.

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