STOCKHOLM, March 18 (Reuters) – Private equity firm Ratos and publisher Bonnier said on Monday they had agreed to merge their cinema chains Finnkino and SF Bio to create the largest player in the field in the Nordic region.
- To merge SF Bio, Finnkino cinema chains
- Ratos to own 60 pct, Bonnier 40 pct
Ratos would own a 60 percent stake in the combined cinema group, which would have an enterprise value of about 3.0 billion Swedish crowns ($468.85 million), while Bonnier would hold the remaining 40 percent, the companies said in a joint statement.
“We’re building the region’s biggest cinema group where strong local brands combine to be even more competitive,” Ratos Chief Executive Susanna Cambell said in the statement.
The deal would include no capital from Bonnier, nor initially from Ratos, the companies said. The combined cinema company would have sales of about 2.6 billion crowns with an operating profit of about 360 million.