KKR, a leading global investment firm, announces today it has agreed to sell LGC, a global leader in the Life Science Tools sector, to a consortium led by Cinven and Astorg. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
LGC provides a comprehensive range of measurement tools, proficiency testing schemes, supply chain assurance standards and specialty genomics reagents underpinned by leading analytical and measurement science capabilities. Its scientific tools and solutions form an essential part of its customers’ quality assurance procedures and enable organisations to develop and commercialise new scientific products and advance research. The company serves customers across a number of end markets, including human healthcare, agri-food and the environment. LGC’s revenue has risen to over £448m in 2019, with organic revenue growth accelerating to 10% pa since 2016.
Tim Robinson, CEO, LGC said: “Under KKR’s ownership, LGC has further built on its mission to deliver Science for a Safer World. Our company has extended its capabilities in the areas of chemical reference standards, clinical reference materials and controls, management system standards, oligo therapeutics and next-generation sequencing. We have achieved strong organic growth aided by investment in key sites in the UK, US, Germany and China and supplemented by a range of highly complementary acquisitions. We are delighted that Cinven and Astorg have chosen to partner with LGC for the next chapter of our history. Together we will continue to invest in serving our customers and supporting the development of our employees.”
Edouard Pillot, Member and EMEA Head of Industrials at KKR, said: “LGC is a good example of KKR’s successful approach in building great companies. We identified LGC as a strong and resilient business with significant potential for further growth, and worked alongside management to support them in harnessing this potential. Tim and the LGC team have done an outstanding job over the past 4 years building LGC into a global leader. We wish them every success during their next stage of growth.”
Kugan Sathiyanandarajah, Director in the Healthcare Industry Team and Head of Europe for the Healthcare Strategic Growth Fund, said: “In 2016, we saw significant potential to build a leading global life sciences tools platform across Standards and Genomics. Since then, we are delighted to have deployed the full range of KKR’s global platform and healthcare sector expertise to support the company to grow and enter new markets, particularly in the U.S. and Asia, both organically and inorganically.”
LGC has its headquarters near London, and employs over 3,200 employees across 22 countries.