Halifax Announces the Sale of Caring Brands International
Marks Successful Exit of a Leading Worldwide Home Health Franchisor
WASHINGTON, DC – September 29, 2015 – The Halifax Group, a leading private equity firm that partners with management to invest in entrepreneurial companies, announced today that it has sold Sunrise, Florida-based Caring Brands International (Caring Brands). Caring Brands is a leading franchisor of home healthcare services providing services under three global brands, Interim HealthCare (US), Bluebird Care (UK and Ireland) and Just Better Care (Australia). Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
In November 2012, Halifax invested alongside management in Interim HealthCare, one of the nation’s oldest and most comprehensive home health care franchise companies. In partnership with Halifax, management executed a plan to grow the business organically, adding 42 new US franchise locations, and through acquisitions, adding 210 new locations in six countries via two international acquisitions. Caring Brands was formed in 2013 through the addition of UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care, and today provides a full continuum of home health services in more than 530 locations located in seven countries.
Kathleen Gilmartin, CEO at Caring Brands, stated, “Halifax’s experience and understanding of the complex nature of healthcare services and franchising allowed them to provide invaluable strategic guidance. We have been able to execute against a very aggressive growth strategy, re-energize our domestic growth effort and extend our footprint across four countries. Halifax brought a unique approach and skill set that our team greatly appreciated.”
“Under Kathleen Gilmartin and Mike Slupecki’s (CFO and COO) leadership, Caring Brands’ management team and employees executed a masterful growth plan during our partnership,” noted Scott Plumridge, principal at Halifax. “From energizing new franchise development to expanding onto two new continents, together we have truly transformed the business into a global brand in home health franchising.”
“Our successful investment in Caring Brands is the continuation of Halifax’s long history of investing in both healthcare and franchising and is the result of our partnership with the highly dedicated Caring Brands team,” added Ken Doyle, managing director, Halifax. “This management team’s commitment to serving patients has made Caring Brands into the leading global healthcare enterprise that it is today.”
Piper Jaffray and North Point Advisors served as exclusive advisor to Halifax and Caring Brands.
About The Halifax Group
The Halifax Group is a private equity firm that partners with managers and entrepreneurs to recapitalize and grow lower middle-market businesses across a variety of industries including health and wellness, infrastructure, business and government services and franchising. The firm maintains offices in Washington, D.C.; Dallas, TX; and Raleigh, NC. For more information, please visit www.thehalifaxgroup.com.
About Caring Brands International
Caring Brands International is the leading franchisor of home healthcare services under three global brands: Interim Healthcare (in the United States), Bluebird Care (in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) and Just Better Care (in Australia). Together, the CBI brands represent 530 locations operated by more than 250 independent franchise owners that produce over $1 billion of system wide sales. The Company’s franchisees offer patients a full continuum of care including skilled home nursing, assistance with daily living activities and end-of-life hospice care. Caring Brands is headquartered in Sunrise, FL. For more information visit www.interimhealthcare.com.
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