retail shoes

J.W. Childs Associates has acquired a majority interest in Shoe Sensation, a Midwest-based family footwear retailer. This acquisition is the third investment by J.W. Childs since the formation of J.W. Childs Equity Partners IV, LP in April 2014.

Shoe Sensation is a retailer of branded family footwear in small towns throughout the Midwest. The company operates more than 115 retail locations across 17 states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.  Shoe Sensation has approximately 700 employees and operates a 50,000 square foot distribution center just north of Louisville in Jeffersonville, IN (headquarters).  The company was founded in 1984 and is led by its CEO, Mike Zawoysky (www.shoesensation.com).

According to J.W. Childs, Shoe Sensation is expanding its small town presence through an organic and strategic growth plan. This three-year strategy will increase the total store count to approximately 175 locations by the end of 2017.

“Shoe Sensation has an attractive business model that addresses the needs of residents in small communities for branded footwear, and the company is well-positioned for further growth within the steadily growing footwear industry,” said Adam Suttin, a Partner at J.W. Childs. “We look forward to working closely with the management team in support of their expansion as they continue to build upon their nearly 30-year heritage.”

J.W. Childs invests in middle market companies based in North America. Sectors of interest include consumer products, specialty retail and healthcare. The firm was founded in 1995 and is based west of Boston in Waltham, MA (www.jwchilds.com).

Three executives from J.W. Childs will join the Shoe Sensation Board of Directors: Partners Adam Suttin and William Watts and Vice President Hemanshu Patel.  Joseph Fortunato, a specialty retail executive and CEO of GNC from 2005 to 2014, will also join the Board.

Shoe Sensation had been a portfolio company of Palisade Capital Management (PCM) which invested $8.1 million in the company in December 2007. PCM has approximately $4.5 billion of assets under management and invests in small and mid-capitalization companies, convertible securities, convertible arbitrage, and private equity.  PCM was founded in 1995 and is headquartered near New York in Fort Lee, NJ (www.palisadecapital.com).

“Shoe Sensation has experienced over six consecutive years of comparable store revenue growth and, since 2010, has grown from 62 locations in 10 states to 115 stores in 17 states,” said Jeffrey Serkes, Chief Operating Officer of Palisade Capital. “It has been a pleasure working with the company’s management team over the past several years, as both they and Shoe Sensation’s employees have built a terrific culture that has the company poised for continued success.”

© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 8-4-15

Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, has acquired AEROSOLES (“AEROSOLES” or the “company”) the active footwear innovator featuring exclusive comfort technologies that offer women a wide range of stylish shoes, boots and sandals for all occasions.

AEROSOLES are sold in 30 different countries, 4,000 doors globally and, in the United States, in major retailers, online at aerosoles.com and 120 retail and outlet locations.  AEROSOLES brands include AEROSOLES, A2, AEROLOGY and What’s What.

AEROSOLES, based in Edison, NJ, was formed in 1987 to fill a void in the marketplace by creating attractive footwear enhanced with proprietary comfort technologies.  The company will continue to be led by its Chief Executive, Jules Schneider, who is retaining a major ownership position.  Palladin, led by Mark Schwartz, CEO, and Caryn Lerner, Operating Partner, will surround the management team with proven operating experience and will help AEROSOLES strengthen its go-to-market strategy.  Working together, AEROSOLES and Palladin already have commenced new initiatives in branding, store design, merchandising, product development and e/m-commerce.

Jules Schneider, CEO of AEROSOLES, said, “The Palladin team brings a wealth of experience in footwear and growing consumer brands and being able to work with them marks a critical next step in our growth strategy.  Their expertise, support and leadership will provide creative insights and operational improvements that will be instrumental in capitalizing on the strength of the AEROSOLES brands as we bring the company to the next level.”

Mark Schwartz, CEO of Palladin, said, “We are excited to partner with Jules and the entire AEROSOLES team.  They have built a strong company and strong brands marked by loyalty and trust because of their focus on product innovation, technology, design and quality.  We are confident that, with additional capital, expertise, and initiatives, we will be able to significantly expand AEROSOLES’ positioning and distribution in domestic and international markets, including accelerating the growth of its retail network.”

Caryn Lerner, Operating Partner of Palladin said, “We look forward to using our contacts and expertise to partner with AEROSOLES through what promises to be an exciting period of growth and development.  We intend to build on the company’s tremendous resources, especially in product design and development, to enhance the customer experience in every distribution channel – retail, wholesale, and e/m-commerce.  Our creative and design teams already are working with the company and we expect to introduce new concepts to the market as the year progresses.”

Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, previously known as Palladin Capital Group, invests exclusively in retail and consumer products companies in North America and Europe that have revenues ranging from $50 million to $500 million. Palladin invests from $10 million to $50 million of equity capital in each transaction. Current and former investments include InMotion Entertainment, Nic + Zoe, J. McLaughlin, KT Tape, Things Remembered, Restoration Hardware, Spencer Gifts, Andrew Marc, and Party America.  The firm was founded in 1998 and is based in Boston (www.pcrp.com).

Palladin provided the equity capital in the transaction.  Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor to Palladin.  Consensus Advisors and Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe provided financial and legal advice to the Company.  Wells Fargo Bank, NA and THL Credit provided debt financing for the transaction.

2014 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 6-10-14