Russia Papa John’s Russia Lands CapMan Investment

American pizza giant Papa John’s is planning to expand its Russian operations now that Finland’s CapMan has invested in the company. CapMan as acquired a 49% share of Papa John’s Russian franchise through its CapMan Russia Fund, for an undisclosed price. Papa John’s plans to use the capital to increase its current crop of nine Moscow locations and expand into other large Russian cities.

Papa John’s (www.papajohns.ru)
Papa John’s is the world’s third largest pizza brand, behind only Pizza Hut and Domino’s respectively. The company was founded in 1984 by entrepreneur John Schnatter.

Today the Louisville based company boasts more than 3,000 stores worldwide, 10,000 employees, and annual revenues in excess of $1.02 billion.

CapMan (www.capman.com)
CapMan was established in 1989 and has emerged as one of the leading private equity firms operating within the Nordic and Russian markets. The firm has six divisions investing in the medical, manufacturing, IT, retail, telcom, and science industries. CapMan currently manages total assets valued at roughly EUR 3.5 from offices in six countries, including its Helsinki headquarters.

CapMan’s operations comprise 140 professionals spread across the Nordic countries and Russia, and it has been listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange since 2001.

CapMan Russia Fund
The CapMan Russia Fund is one of 20 different funds managed by CapMan, one of the leading asset managers in Russia and the Nordic region, with managed assets in excess of €3.4 billion. The

CapMan Russia Fund invests in mid-sized Russian companies valued between €5 and €50 million with net sales between €5 and €100 million. Sectors of interest for the fund include consumer goods and services, financial services, media, manufacturing, telecoms, and transportation.