Houlihan Lokey Advises SMYK

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that SMYK S.A. (SMYK), a portfolio company of Bridgepoint Advisers Ltd. (Bridgepoint), has completed a management buyout supported by Accession Capital Partners Sp. z o.o. (ACP). The transaction was signed on 25 April 2024 and closed on 29 April 2024.

Founded in 1952, SMYK is the No. 1 omnichannel children’s products retailer in Central and Eastern Europe and an iconic Polish brand. The company operates more than 280 brick-and-mortar stores across the region, selling toys, clothing, and school supplies “under one roof” via the Cool Club and Smiki brands, as well as third-party brands. In addition to its physical stores, SMYK operates a well-developed e-commerce platform in Poland and Romania, with superior customer understanding, providing the best shopping experience online and offline. Internationally, SMYK markets its products via c. 160 partnership stores (both franchise and wholesale) located across Europe and the Middle East.

The transaction was concluded as a management buyout, with the current CEO partnering with ACP, a Central European investment house, to acquire the company.

Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisor to the shareholders of SMYK. The deal builds on Houlihan Lokey’s long track record of advising companies in the consumer and retail sectors, reinforcing the firm’s global leadership in this space.