Gilde Buy Out Partners to sell Pro Gamers Group to HAL Investments and Management

Frankfurt/Berlin — HAL Investments B.V. (“HAL”) announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Pro Gamers Group (“PGG”), a leading gaming gear specialist, from funds advised by Gilde Buy Out Partners (“Gilde”).

PGG is the leading digitally native end-to-end-supplier for high-end performance gaming computer systems and peripherals, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. The Company targets gaming enthusiasts, as well as professional and high-performance gamers, through a selection of industry leading B2C e-commerce shops in core gaming markets and leverages a broad network of B2B partners to distribute its products worldwide. With its unique access to data, ability to innovate quickly and to shape trends, PGG has proven itself as a highly successful incubator of market leading own brands and is also the leading vendor of a broad range of exclusive products. PGG is present in all major gaming regions, via a network of strategically placed entities in Germany, the UK, the Nordics, Eastern Europe, Portugal, Australia as well as Taiwan.

With Gilde’s support, PGG has extended its track-record of identifying and acquiring leading players in the enthusiast gaming equipment sector. Over the last 18 months, PGG has successfully executed two significant add-on acquisitions, strategically expanding the Group’s global footprint and own brand offering. Both acquisition targets were founder-led, namely AeroCool (a Taiwan based gaming brand) as well as PC Case Gear (an Australia based e-tailer for mid-to-high performance computer systems and accessories), who have joined PGG in its mission to become the preeminent gaming equipment brand globally.

In addition to building its acquisition pipeline, PGG has impressively accelerated its organic growth trajectory. This development was underpinned by management’s clear focus on growth drivers and Gilde’s dedicated Portfolio Enhancement Program (“PEP”), through which a further expansion of the product and brand portfolio as well as broadening the organisational set-up has been achieved. PGG’s founder-led management team will continue on its path of value creation together with the new majority shareholder.

Toni Sonn, CEO and co-founder of PGG:

“We are proud of what we’ve achieved as a team and are grateful for the support Gilde has provided in connection with our global expansion. During this period, we were able to further enhance PGG’s positioning as one of the fastest growing companies in the dynamic, global gaming market. In addition, with AeroCool and PCCG joining PGG, we are on track to become one of the global leaders in our industry. We are excited to welcome HAL as our new strategic partner, with whom we will continue to execute on our global growth strategy.”

Matthias Wilcken, Partner at Gilde, adds:

“The development of PGG and the achievements of its management team over the past years have been extremely impressive. PGG is a prime example of how gaming and eSports has evolved into a highly professionalised mass market, which is poised to reshape our future understanding of entertainment and social engagement. Having had the ability to work in such an exciting industry alongside this highly talented group of managers has been a real privilege for everyone in the Gilde team. We wish PGG, its management team and employees as well as the new shareholder HAL all the best for the next phase of growth.”

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