H.I.G. WhiteHorse Supports Waterland’s Buyout of RUF Group

H.I.G. WhiteHorse, a credit affiliate of global investment firm H.I.G. Capital („H.I.G.“) is pleased to announce that it has arranged a financing package for RUF Group (“RUF” or the “Company”), backing its buyout by Waterland, a leading top-tier European private equity investment group.

Founded in 1926, RUF is a leading premium manufacturer in the German bed market with a broad product portfolio consisting of beds, sofa beds, and smaller accessories. The Company sells its products via two brands “RUF Betten” and “BRUNO”, a leading online brand.

Dr. Carsten Rahlfs, Managing Partner at Waterland, said: “Implementing our envisioned buy and build growth requires highly efficient cooperation with a financing partner that can be flexible and adapt very quickly to the needs of a company. We are confident that H.I.G. WhiteHorse will make a significant contribution to the success of our buy & build strategy at RUF Group.”

Pascal Meysson, Head of H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe, said: “We are very excited to support Waterland with flexible capital that not only supports the acquisition of RUF, but also meets the Company’s growth aspirations.”

Sebastian Lorenz, Principal at H.I.G. WhiteHorse Europe, said: “With its more than 90-year history, RUF has established itself as a leading premium brand in the brick-and-mortar retail segment of the German bed market and is a leader in the direct-to-customer segment via its “Bruno” brand. We are thrilled to support RUF and its new owner Waterland in this new chapter of its development and contribute to the continuation of its ambitious growth plan.”

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About H.I.G. WhiteHorse
H.I.G. WhiteHorse is the credit affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, focused on providing flexible debt financing solutions to middle market companies in Europe and the United States. Operating a broad investment mandate, H.I.G. WhiteHorse provides unitranche, senior and subordinated debt capital for refinancings, growth capital, acquisitions, buyouts, and balance sheet recapitalizations. Credit facilities typically range from €50 million to €175 million for companies with revenues of €30 million or more. For more information, please refer to the WhiteHorse website at: www.higwhitehorse.com.

About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global alternative assets investment firm with $48 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.