Calzedonia Group acquires Cantiere del Pardo

Calzedonia Group and Wise Equity fund are pleased to announce the signing of a binding contract for the acquisition of Cantiere del Pardo ("CdP"), a leading manufacturer of premium sailing and motor yachts. The Calzedonia Group thus expands its activities in the field of Italian excellence. The meeting with the historical managers, Fabio Planamente and Gigi Servidati, who will maintain a minority stake in the company, the sharing of vision on the future development of the Shipyard, together with the opportunity to strengthen experience in the industrial, organizational as well as distribution fields favored the decision to conclude the operation.

Founded in 1973, Cantiere del Pardo has a history of great success and international recognition. Since its inception it has launched over five thousand boats under the Grand Soleil brand and more recently, with the Pardo Yachts and VanDutch Yachts brands. Cantiere del Pardo is recognized as one of the best manufacturers of luxury yachts in the world, thanks to its history and tradition, profound construction knowledge and the iconic design of its models.

The company has grown significantly since the arrival of Wise Equity ("Wise") as an investor in 2020, both in revenues and in corporate structure. In particular, the success of Pardo Yachts line of motor boats, conceived internally and developed with the collaboration of prestigious design studios, can be considered one of the greatest successes in the recent history of Boating Industry given the significant growth from the introduction of the first model in 2017 to the sales forecast of over 150 yachts in the last year. Servidati and Planamente, the two managers and contributors of CdP's success, will remain partners of the company, continuing the current development strategy based on quality, tradition values, service excellence and attention to sustainability challenges set out in the pleasure boating sector.

With the arrival of Calzedonia Group, Cantiere del Pardo will pursue international growth and the development of new models, with even greater attention to quality and excellence of service both for the distribution network as well as the end customer. CdP will continue to invest in sustainability, innovation and research and development, starting from its advanced production sites and its unparalleled human recourses.

Sandro Veronesi, founder and chairman of the Calzedonia Group commented: "Over the years, Calzedonia has shown that it knows how to grow constantly. Starting as a one product company, it has developed into a group active in many markets with many recognizable brands. Recent successes such as Intimissimi Uomo, Falconeri, Signorvino and Atelier Emè have joined long-established companies like Calzedonia, Intimissimi and Tezenis.

New challenges are now Antonio Marras and Cantiere del Pardo. The common factors are Italian love for the product, together with strong investments in production, distribution and communication.

I am convinced that Cantiere del Pardo, which is already an excellence in its sector, will also find great opportunities for growth by sharing the resources, knowledge and people of our Group."

Marco Carletto, CEO of the Calzedonia Group, commented: "We are starting this new entrepreneurial adventure with enthusiasm and passion. We are convinced that starting from the basis of excellence already present in CdP, in its workers and in its managers, we will be able to contribute significantly to consolidating this Italian success story. I want to thank all the people, including our colleagues in Calzedonia, who contributed to the preparation of this deal."

Gigi Servidati, President of Cantiere del Pardo added: "The acquisition of Cantiere del Pardo by the Calzedonia group represents for all of us a source of pride and satisfaction and above all a stimulus to pursue with renewed enthusiasm the growth path launched in collaboration with the Wise Equity. The entrepreneurial experience and organizational skills of the Group Calzedonia will be fundamental to face with confidence and awareness the challenge of a full realization of the strategic objectives of expanding the range, optimizing organizational processes and internationalization projects on which we have been working for years to increasingly affirm Cantiere del Pardo as a reality of absolute excellence in one of the most important sectors of Made in Italy. A heartfelt thanks goes to all the colleagues and workers of the Cantiere del Pardo who have made this incredible journey possible."

Fabio Planamente, CEO of Cantiere del Pardo said: "A new chapter in the long history of Cantiere del Pardo and its successes opens with the acquisition by the Calzedonia Group. We are very honored that such an important and prestigious Italian company in the world has decided to invest in our shipyard. Thanks to the precious contribution made by the Wise Equity in the growth path of the shipyard, we are now even more motivated and convinced to face the next challenges and all new projects, being able to count on a strong Italian group with proven entrepreneurial skills, which will lead Cantiere del Pardo and its brands to establish themselves more and more in the boating world scene as excellence of Made in Italy."

Michele Semenzato, Founding Partner of Wise Equity, commented: "We are proud to have accompanied the CdP management team in the exciting growth path that the company has had in recent years.  CdP is a fantastic example of excellence in a sector where our country holds a leadership role. Under the leadership of Servidati and Planamente, the company has evolved profoundly compared to the one we had invested in. The name Cantiere del Pardo and the brands it represents have definitively established themselves in the Olympus of  the  most prestigious brands in the boating industry; the managerial structure has grown and been significantly strengthened; the model range has been considerably extended and the production capacity has doubled."

The deal will be completed by October 2023.

The advisors of Calzedonia Group were Mediobanca – Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A., as financial advisor, Studio Legale Cinti & Associati  for legal matters, KPMG for financial, accounting and tax due diligence. 

Wise Equity was supported in the transaction by Cassiopea Partners as financial advisor, Simmons & Simmons for legal matters and Spada & Partners for accounting/tax matters.