The Belarus-based company West Ost Union, owner of the children clothing retail chain Buslik, attracted a strategic partner by selling a majority share to the Polish company CDRL that is known for its Coccodrillo brand of kids clothing. CDRL also bought out the share in West Ost Union of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, allowing the bank to exit and complete its investment cycle. As a result of the transaction, CDRL will hold a 90% share in West Ost Union. The seller was advised by SORTIS’ partner in the Globalscope M&A Advisors network – Capital Times, an independent investment banking firm specialized in advising M&A deals in Ukraine and Belarus.
CDRL is engaged in the design, production, and sale of clothing and other goods for children aged 0 to 14 years under the well-known international brand Coccodrilo. Company’s portfolio includes clothing, footwear, food, accessories, cosmetics, toys, and furniture. The company has more than 300 stores in Poland and more than 500 worldwide. It exports to multiple countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. “Taking over Buslik will double the size of our company in Belarus and accelerate the development abroad. The combination of Coccodrillo monobrand and the Buslik supermarket has enormous growth potential in neighboring countries, such as Russia or Kazakhstan,” said CDRL’s president Marek Dworczak.
Belarus-based West Ost Union, operating under the Buslik brand name, owns 46 stores for children goods. Attracting a strategic partner will help West Ost Union increase its market share, which is currently estimated at 15%.
West Ost Union’s financial advisor Capital Times is an independent investment banking company specializing in M&A deals, with offices in Minsk and Kiev. “We cooperated with the owners of the retail chain at every stage of the transaction – finding a partner, maintaining due diligence, concluding an agreement,” commented Dementy Yuferev, Investment Director at Capital Times.
