SÃO PAULO, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Arlon Group (Arlon), a food and agriculture investment firm, announced that it has acquired a substantial minority stake in OK Superatacado (Serrano Distribuidora SA), based in Vitoria, Espírito Santo, Brazil. OK Superatacado is a leading cash and carry business in the region, offering affordable products and high quality services both to retail customers and food service companies such as restaurants, bars and distributors. As part of the investment, Bruno Martins Silva and Gustavo Furuta, as Arlon’s representatives, and Claudio Galeazzi have joined the company’s Board of Directors.

Cezar Roncetti and Samuel Roncetti, the founders of OK Superatacado and CEO and Director of Expansion, respectively, will continue to lead the business. Cezar said, “We look forward to the partnership with Arlon and to building on our company’s growth trajectory. Arlon brings deep resources and networks to our company, and I believe that our partnership will not only strengthen us financially but also bring us their management expertise and knowledge of global food and retail chains.” Samuel added, regarding new growth opportunities, “Through our partnership with Arlon, I believe that we will leverage their resources and contacts to further consolidate OK’s presence in the region by opening new stores and working to achieve the optimal product mix at affordable prices and with a high service level to our clients.”

“We believe that OK is very well-positioned in the fast growing cash and carry market. We’re excited to work with the team to accelerate growth and to deliver on their strategic initiatives. Cezar, Samuel and their team have created a company with a unique value proposition and excellent performance that have enabled it to be a respected industry leader in Espírito Santo with significant and sustainable growth. We are excited by future opportunities to take advantage of the large whitespace to open additional stores and consolidate OK’s regional presence,” said Bruno Silva, speaking on behalf of Arlon. “OK’s founders and leadership bring a wealth of retail and operational experience in the region to the table. It has been great working with them to date,” added Gustavo Furuta, also speaking on behalf of Arlon.

Claudio Galeazzi, a new member of OK Superatacado’s Board of Directors and an executive with extensive experience leading national and multinational companies, including as past CEO of BRF SA and Grupo Pão de Açucar SA and member of the Board of Directors of Banco BTG Pactual, affirmed OK’s focus on customers and opportunities for growth, “I am deeply familiar with the retail sector in Brazil. Cezar and Samuel have created a strong business through their dogged focus on providing high quality and affordability to customers in the region, and OK and Arlon have a great opportunity to expand growth throughout the region and to continue to deliver on the pillars of OK’s high-value offering.”

About Arlon Group
Arlon Group is a food and agriculture investment firm with a global network that invests in middle-market businesses across the entire food supply chain in the Americas. Arlon’s team brings extensive investment expertise and deep, local industry contacts as they seek to partner with growth-oriented businesses in the food and agriculture sectors. Arlon’s investment professionals work collaboratively across geographies, and Arlon’s portfolio companies benefit from the team’s shared knowledge of regional and global trends. Arlon’s investment focus comes from its founding investor, Continental Grain Company, a 200-year-old leader in the food and agriculture space. Rabobank, a leading bank to the global food, beverage and agribusiness industries, is another key Arlon investor. In Latin America, Arlon also works in partnership with VR Investments, a family owned Brazilian investment company with broad experience in Brazilian businesses. Arlon Group has approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management and is headquartered in New York with an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For more information, visit www.arlongroup.com.

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SOURCE Arlon Group