Brunswick to Acquire Navico for $1B

Brunswick Corporation entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Navico for $1.05 billion, bringing to Brunswick's Advanced Systems Group (ASG) well-known marine electronics brands such as Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP.

"The acquisition of Navico and its award-winning brands will immediately accelerate Brunswick’s ACES (Autonomy, Connectivity, Electrification and Shared-Access) strategy, and support our vision to deliver distinctive new products and technology-enabled experiences,” said Dave Foulkes, Brunswick Corporation CEO.  

“We will continue to invest both in organic initiatives and acquisitions to maintain our position of global product leadership, and the addition of Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP to our existing brand portfolio will further strengthen our ability to provide complete, innovative digital solutions to consumers and comprehensive, integrated systems offerings to our OEM customers.”

Navico is a privately held global company based in Egersund, Norway and co-owned by Altor Fund IV and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.  It is a leading provider of multi-function displays, fish finders, autopilots, sonar, radar, and cartography. Navico’s strong brands serve most major powerboat and sailing markets for both recreational and commercial applications.

Navico’s revenues totaled approximately $470 million for the trailing 12-month period ended May 31, 2021, with attractive revenue growth, a strong margin profile, and a capital efficient business model. Brunswick’s P&A segment accounts for about $1.5 billion - or 35 percent of total 2020 annual revenues. With the addition of Navico, Brunswick expects its P&A businesses to have revenues on a run-rate basis exceeding $2.0 billion. Navico’s significant aftermarket orientation and attractive margin profile further add to Brunswick’s cycle resistant business profile.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to Brunswick Corporation and is providing committed financing; Baker McKenzie and Schjødt are serving as legal counsel to Brunswick Corporation on the transaction.      

Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, Sweden Bankfilial, and Carnegie acted as financial advisors to Altor, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Marine Innovations Group AS; Sullivan & Cromwell and Wiersholm provided legal advisory services on the transaction.

The closing of the transaction is anticipated during the second half of 2021 and is subject to usual and customary closing conditions as well as regulatory review and approval.