CLEVELAND — IAs part of its drive to expand its portfolio in the UK and Europe, Blue Point Capital Partners and its portfolio company, Stax, a Boston-based M&A strategy consultancy, has acquired AMR International, a London-based strategy consultancy a company specialising in buy-side and sell-side commercial due diligence across the technology, information, media and events sectors. The deal marks another step towards market expansion as global equities continue to expand into the UK and Europe.
With offices in Cleveland, Charlotte, Seattle and Shanghai, Blue Point Capital Partners, a private equity firm managing over $1.5 billion of committed capital, acquired Stax in 2021. AMR’s recent expansion across the Atlantic is part of a long-term growth strategy for Stax to build foundations, increase momentum and strengthen key relationships with private equity firms increasingly active in the region.
“While we span many verticals, Stax is proud to have over 12 years of experience in the trade show and exhibition space, dating back to our role as lead advisor on the combination of World Market Center and Highpoint under Bain Capital. Since then, we have supported over 30 industry engagements for many of the industry’s leading shows, operators and sponsors, supporting areas such as show acquisitions, attendee and exhibitor engagement strategy, digital transformation and industry-leading white papers on the industry’s recovery from the Covid pandemic. We look forward to joining forces with AMR to better support the trade show industry as the pace of change in the industry continues to accelerate,” said Paul Edwards, Senior Managing Director at Stax.
AMR’s UK footprint and offerings make it an ideal fit for the Stax platform. With over 275 employees in Boston, Chicago and New York, Stax provides corporate and private equity firms with commercial due diligence, value creation and exit planning advisory services. AMR’s compatible advisory services include strategy, transaction support, performance improvement, digital and advanced analytics, all essential to a successful partnership.
“We are delighted to see this highly compatible partnership come to fruition,” said Jeff Robich, Partner at Blue Point. “Geographic expansion through M&A is a key growth driver and an important part of our long-term strategy for Stax, and AMR’s reputation and presence in the UK is a real asset to the platform. We look forward to continuing to support this world-class management team as they solve problems and generate innovative ideas for clients around the world.”
Founded in 1991, AMR’s UK position and service offerings made it an optimal acquisition for the Stax platform. “The AMR team is excited to join Stax as we embark on a new period of innovative growth,” said Denzil Rankine, Executive Chairman and Founder of AMR, adding that the alignment between services offered and cultures, in addition to compatible geographic coverage, will ensure an even better client experience for transatlantic private equity firms.
For 30 years, AMR International has been supporting the global trade show industry by providing strategic growth support. This includes global growth strategies through acquisition and organic growth, as well as performance improvement and event optimization.
“Over the past decade, AMR’s mission has increasingly focused on helping transform the trade show industry to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital revolution. As the events industry increasingly seeks to leverage the vast amounts of data it generates and captures, we are excited to partner with Stax, which has highly sophisticated data analytics capabilities, in addition to benefiting from Stax’s greater resources and more fully serving our combined event customer base,” said Rankine.
Contact Jeff Robich at jrobich@bluepointcapital.com