GPF Capital, a Spanish fund that is particularly active in medium-sized company transactions, has entered the Spanish pet and animal retail market with the acquisition of a stake in Tansley.
Tansley controls the Guaw shops. In a short time it has become one of the emblems of the boom in the pet sector in Spain, especially in the wake of the Covid pandemic. It was founded by Javier Osa, one of the most representative managers in this market. After founding Kiwoko, Osa gradually brought in financial partners, including TA Associates and later Meridia Capital, until they sold the company to Emefin, the investment arm of the Mulder group, one of the richest families in Peru, at the end of 2019. This company has continued to grow in Spain with the purchase of Tiendanimal. Osa managed to turn Kiwoko into one of the leaders in the sector, with sales of 400 million euros and a gross operating profit (ebitda) of more than 30 million.
Tansley’s management will remain with the group after the acquisition by GPF. In addition to Osa, Raquel Catalán, María Salto, Denise Facchin, Carlos Rufat and Tomás Casals, founders of Milbby and Bookish, are also part of the transaction.
Uría Menendez advised its longtime client GPF Capital with a team formed by Corporate partner Francisco San Miguel and associate Manuel Delgado.
