- EBRD invests €20 million in Polish football goods e-tailer R-Gol, alongside private equity fund Innova/7
- Investment to support R-Gol’s acquisition of Unisport in Denmark
- R-Gol to construct a new energy-efficient warehouse in Poland
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is investing €20 million in Poland’s leading football merchandise e-retailer, R-Gol, together with private equity fund Innova/7, in which the EBRD is also a limited partner.
The EBRD’s investment, as part of a €51.9 million equity round, will finance R-Gol’s acquisition of Danish e-retailer and digital content specialist Unisport, as well as the construction of a new energy-efficient warehouse in Poland.
The purchase of Unisport will bolster R-Gol’s international expansion strategy and enable it to become a leading pan-European online retailer of footballing goods. With R-Gol’s strong presence in central and eastern Europe and Uniport’s foothold in the Nordic region, the combined entity will accelerate the growth of the company’s wider European footprint.
Holger Muent, Head of the EBRD’s Telecommunications, Media and Technology practice, said: “R-Gol is precisely the type of company we want to work with, as the consumer internet segment is an important part of the EBRD’s digital strategy. The Unisport acquisition will push R-Gol to the digital frontier and catalyse competitiveness improvements for the combined entity. We hope this transaction serves as an inspiring example of Polish home-grown entrepreneurial success.”
Tamas Nagy, Co-Head of EBRD Private Equity, said: “Tech and tech-enabled investments account for a growing share of our equity deals in central and eastern Europe, so we are very pleased to continue supporting the growth and competitiveness of innovative and niche e-commerce players like R-Gol. The scaling up of companies such as R-Gol serves as a signal of the high-quality talent and business acumen in the region and boosts the attractiveness of central and eastern Europe for private equity players.”
Łukasz Cyran, Managing Director at Innova Capital and one the leads on this transaction said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with EBRD on this transformative deal for R-Gol. Joining forces with Unisport marks a crucial milestone in our journey to become the leading global digital ecosystem in the football category.”
R-Gol, based in Poland, is the leading e-retailer of football-related goods in central and eastern Europe and the fifth largest in Europe, focusing on specialised gear and branded merchandise. Unisport, based in Denmark, is the leading e-retailer of football goods in the Nordic countries.
Innova Capital is an independent private equity adviser operating from Poland and investing in majority buyouts in mid-sized enterprises doing business in central and eastern Europe. Since its inception in 1994, Innova Capital has invested close to €1.3 billion in almost 70 companies across 10 countries in the region.
The EBRD is among the leading institutional investors in Poland. Since it started operating in the country in 1991, the Bank has invested almost €14.6 billion in 532 projects. Last year, the Bank invested a record €1.3 billion in Poland.