Stout is pleased to announce that its client, Quadrivio Group, has acquired the majority stake in EPI. In connection with this transaction, Stout served as financial advisor to Quadrivio Group, which participated in the deal through its private equity vehicle Industry 4.0 Fund for investment in digitalizing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Founded in 1996 in Milan, EPI is an Italian ‘brick and click’ company and partner in managing merchandising for the leading clubs in first-division soccer and the National Basketball Association (NBA). The firm started out by handling professional racing driver Michael Schumacher’s merchandising and, since 2002, has been expanding and managing the first official online stores for top-division Italian football clubs. A multi-channel business model has taken these online spaces to be accompanied by retail outlets in the most prominent Italian cities. Today EPI has well-established partnerships with AC Milan, ACF Fiorentina, AS Roma, Atalanta, FC Inter, Juventus FC, Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, and SS Lazio, as well as the NBA.

"EPI stands as another Industry 4.0 acquisition in a high-interest combination for capital in this area: e-commerce in sport and soccer teams,” said Roberto Crapelli, Managing Partner at Industry 4.0 Fund. “With EPI, Industry 4.0 Fund is completing an investment that is fully in keeping with its investment strategy: swiftly creating value by injecting Industry 4.0 technologies into the old economy to convert it into a new economy.

Quadrivio Group is private equity firm that is active in the alternative investments realm. The group has been operating in private equity for over 20 years. Managed and promoted in co-partnership with Roberto Crapelli, Industry 4.0 Fund invests in digitalizing SMEs, supporting them for international growth, and in adopting 4.0 technologies.

“We see our partnership with Industry 4.0 Fund as an opportunity for growth and evolution, and an improved professional managerial approach,” said Lorenzo Forte, founding partner at EPI. “Quadrivio Group’s support means we will be able to work on further strengthening our assets of value and our infrastructure, on constantly improving the level of service offered to teams and end customers, and on investments for expansion and internationalization.”

Giacomo Mogni, Managing Director and Co-Head of Stout’s Milan office, led the Stout deal team. “We at Stout are very glad to have originated, executed, and completed this deal, notwithstanding the difficult time we live in. We are confident that Quadrivio Group can bring the necessary competencies in retail management and in digitalization processes that can really boost Epi in its future path towards growth and internationalization and bring benefit to all EPI’s stakeholders,” said Giacomo.

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