Nautic Partners Has Signed a Definitive Agreement to Acquire Vallen North America From the Sonepar Group

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nautic Partners, LLC (“Nautic”) is pleased to announce that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vallen Distribution (“Vallen”), from the Sonepar Group, and in partnership with Vallen management. The sale is anticipated to close as soon as possible, following regulatory approval.

With a history dating to 1865 and headquartered in Belmont, North Carolina, Vallen is a leading provider of indirect industrial supplies, covering the vast majority of its customers’ maintenance, repair, operations and production-related needs. The company provides integrated supply solutions and vendor managed inventory, with Vallen associates on-site, bringing local knowledge and expertise to the specific needs of individual customer facilities. Vallen is also a leader in technical services with offerings that include safety equipment inspection, maintenance, certification, and solution design.

Chuck Delph, CEO of Vallen North America, said, “This partnership with Nautic marks an exciting new chapter for Vallen, with a focus on accelerating performance while continuing to provide our customers the excellent service, solutions, and products they expect. We are eager to move forward with Nautic’s support enhancing our strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and our Vallen team.”

Chris Pierce, Managing Director of Nautic, said, “Vallen is led by CEO Chuck Delph and a deep management team. We are excited about Chuck and the team’s ability to accelerate the business’ growth trajectory in the coming years, and are thrilled to partner with them to support the company’s future efforts. Additionally, we are excited to add another industrial distribution investment to our portfolio, as well as to lean on our prior experience with corporate carveouts to help Vallen successfully transition to a standalone organization.”

Andrew Brewster, Senior Vice President of Nautic, continued, “Vallen is a scaled player with a strong brand name in the industrial distribution market. The company’s value proposition is rooted in technical product knowledge, deep experience with integrated supply services, and excellent customer service. We are excited to support management in carving out the business and executing on their growth plan.”

McDermott Will & Emery LLP represented Nautic in the transaction and BMO Harris Bank, Capital One, N.A. and Wells Fargo, N.A. led the financing for the transaction. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jones Day advised Sonepar.

About Vallen

Vallen is an industry leader in delivering flexible supply chain solutions and services along with a comprehensive range of maintenance, repair, operating, production, safety and electrical products to meet the growing supply needs of customers in facilities across North America and Europe. For more information, visit vallen.com.

About Nautic

Nautic is a middle-market private equity firm that focuses on three industries: healthcare, industrials, and services. Nautic has completed over 145 platform transactions throughout its 35-plus year history. Nautic’s strategy is to partner with management teams to accelerate the growth trajectory of its portfolio companies via add-on acquisitions, targeted operating initiatives, and increased management team depth. For more information, please visit www.nautic.com.