Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising companies at the lower end of the middle market, today announced the acquisition of cabi Holding Co. LLC, a leading direct seller of women’s apparel in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2002, cabi sells high-quality, on trend, accessibly-priced designer clothing to a broad, female demographic via a proprietary network of approximately 3,500 independent stylists who conduct private shows in the homes of more than 78,000 hostesses. At the forefront of an emerging trend in how women shop, cabi’s stylists provide a high-touch, personalized shopping experience to the more than one million prospective clients who attend its shows annually. Cabi also offers a compelling career opportunity for entrepreneurial women seeking a meaningful income opportunity, while preserving flexibility and work/life balance.
“As consumer behavior shifts away from traditional retail environments, we feel that cabi is revolutionizing the shopping experience for women,” said Lynne Coté, cabi’s CEO. “Our entrepreneurial culture, growing base of highly-trained, committed, and close-knit stylists, and distinctive home show experience are the foundation of our value proposition. Our partnership with Sentinel will help drive cabi’s next level of growth.”
“We are very excited about our investment in cabi,” said Jim Coady, a partner at Sentinel. “Its unique business model has a demonstrated ability and consistent record of generating strong growth, and cabi’s value proposition to its network of stylists, hostesses, and clients is one of the most compelling we have seen. We are highly impressed with cabi’s talented management team and look forward to working closely with them to drive future growth.”
The past year has been highly productive for Sentinel. Besides cabi, Sentinel has made six other new platform investments: Altima Dental, the largest dental services organization in Canada; The Luminaires Group, a leading North American manufacturer of specification-grade lighting products; Marketplace Events, the largest operator of consumer home and garden shows in North America; Quick Weight Loss Centers, a multistate provider of highly differentiated weight loss management services; Revenew International, a leading provider of cost recovery and cost containment services; and SONNY’S Enterprises, the worldwide leader in conveyorized car wash systems.
About Sentinel Capital Partners
Sentinel Capital Partners specializes in buying and building businesses at the lower end of the middle market in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and going-private transactions of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $65 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings and operational turnarounds. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com.
About cabi
Cabi is a leading direct seller of women’s apparel with nearly 3,500 independent stylists who conduct shows in the homes of more than 78,000 hostesses throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Cabi delivers beautifully-detailed and high-quality designer clothing that is on trend, accessibly-priced and appeals to a broad and attractive demographic. Cabi is revolutionizing the way women shop and work through its unique fashion experience and career opportunity. For more information on cabi, visit www.cabionline.com.
