Halifax Agrees to Acquire the Worldwide Home Care Division of Sodexo
Sees Expansion Opportunities for Global Home Care Franchisor and Operator
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 29, 2023 — The Halifax Group (“Halifax”), a middle market private equity firm that partners with management to invest in market-leading companies, announced today that it has agreed to acquire the Worldwide Home Care division of Sodexo, (the “Company”), including their home care subsidiaries in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Brazil.
“We are thrilled to partner with a company whose mission we support so wholeheartedly,” said Scott Plumridge, Managing Partner at Halifax. “In the U.S., we have tracked and admired the Comfort Keepers brand for a long time, and it is a privilege to have this opportunity to support the continued expansion of the Company’s global collection of brands. The Company and its franchisees play an important role in helping individuals to live independently in the comfort of their own homes. The Company is one of the largest operators in this sizeable market and has distinguished itself through the high-quality professional care that brings personal interaction, dignity, and joy to seniors as they age in place.”
The Company provides in-home care services across eight countries. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the Company operates as a franchisor in the U.S. in the non-medical personal care sector with 535 franchised territories and 105 company-owned territories. Internationally, the Company offers personal care in Ireland, the U.K., Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and France. In addition, it offers complex care (skilled nursing, therapies and home hospitalization) in the U.K. and Brazil. The Worldwide Home Care Division CEO Natalie Black will remain at the Company along with the senior management team.
Sophie Bellon, Chairwoman and CEO of Sodexo, said, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Halifax, and confident that their resources and expertise will greatly benefit the Worldwide Home Care team in accelerating their growth and success. For Sodexo, this milestone marks another step forward in the implementation of our 2025 strategic plan, and our ambition to become the leader in sustainable food and valued experiences.”
Molly Fitzpatrick, Vice President at Halifax, said, “We look forward to working with the leadership team to build on the Company’s impressive market position and accelerate its growth. Halifax has a long history of investing in home care services as well as franchisors, and we understand the advantages for all stakeholders of providing these care services in the lower-cost and comfortable home setting.”
Natalie Black, CEO of the Worldwide Home Care Division of Sodexo, said, “We have enjoyed remarkable achievements over the last 15 years, having grown our footprint to more than 700 locations around the world. We are now pleased to work with Halifax, whose financial resources and experience with both home care services and the franchise model will be invaluable as we prepare for the future. Along with our franchisees and dedicated care providers, we will continue to enhance our service offerings and deliver excellent service to more clients and families.”
Halifax has a history of supporting leading home healthcare and franchising companies, including Caring Brands International, another leading franchisor of home healthcare services. In partnership with management, Halifax grew the U.S.-based Interim HealthCare through both organic initiatives and acquisitions, adding U.K.-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care to form Caring Brands International in 2013. When Halifax sold its stake in the business in 2015, it offered a full continuum of home health services in more than 530 locations in seven countries.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023 and is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Lazard served as the financial advisor to Sodexo.
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About the Worldwide Home Care Division of Sodexo
Sodexo entered the home care market in 2009 with the acquisition of Comfort Keepers in the US and expanded its activities internationally since. The Worldwide Home Care division of Sodexo operates in 8 countries: the US through Comfort Keepers; the United Kingdom through Prestige Home care, The Good Care Group, and Oxford Aunts; Ireland through Comfort Keepers; France through Amelis; Brazil through Pronep, and multiple brands in the Nordics. The Home Care division employs 12,000 people across its locations and are highly recognized for their outstanding care and service, as well as the strong commitments as an employer, in line with the values of Sodexo Group.
About The Halifax Group
Founded in 1999, The Halifax Group is a private equity firm that partners with managers and entrepreneurs to recapitalize and invest in lower middle-market businesses with total enterprise values generally between $100 million and $300 million. Halifax specializes in equity recapitalizations, corporate carve-outs, and management buyouts and invests across a variety of industries, including health and wellness, outsourced business services, and franchising. The firm is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains an office in Raleigh, NC. For more information, please visit www.thehalifaxgroup.com.
About Sodexo
Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in sustainable food and valued experiences at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play. Operating in 53 countries, our 422,000 employees serve 100 million consumers each day. The Sodexo Group stands out for its independence and its founding family shareholding, its responsible business model and its portfolio of activities including Food Services, Facilities Management Services and Employee Benefit Solutions. This diversified offer meets all the challenges of everyday life with a dual goal: to improve the quality of life of our employees and those we serve, and contribute to the economic, social and environmental progress in the communities where we operate. For Sodexo, growth and social commitment go hand in hand. Our purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, CAC 40 ESG, CAC SBT 1.5, FTSE4 Good and DJSI indices.
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