Esselte

Esselte is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of office products and business supplies with subsidiaries in 25 countries and sales in over 120 countries. Esselte makes files, binders, folders, covers, staplers, letter trays and computer accessories under the Esselte, Leitz, Oxford, Pendaflex, Rapid and Xyron brands. Customers range from wholesalers and direct marketers to office superstores and mass retailers.

Founded in 1913 in Stockholm, Sweden, Esselte is today controlled by the Boston-based private equity firm J.W. Childs & Associates as a result of a going private acquisition for approximately $560 million originated in 2002 by Boston-based Sequel Management (see below), and the parent company itself is domiciled in Luxembourg. Prior to the acquisition of Esselte by J.W. Childs, the company had been publicly listed on the Stockholm and London Stock Exchanges.

History

Founded in 1913, when 13 Swedish printing and graphic businesses joined forces to create the company Sveriges Litografiska Tryckerier—abbreviated SLT—in 1970, the company renamed itself Esselte, reflecting the pronunciation of the abbreviation. In 2002, the Boston, MA based US private equity investment firm J.W. Childs & Associates purchased Esselte for approximately $560 million in a transaction originated and introduced by Jonathan Slater of Sequel Management, a Boston-based transaction sponsor. At the time of the Esselte acquisition by J.W. Childs, the company was dual listed on the Stockholm and London Stock Exchanges and had revenues in excess of $1 billion.