Akerman successfully represented leading private equity firm Trivest Partners in the sale of its portfolio company Front Row Group to Charlesbank Capital Partners. Front Row, an e-commerce agency and accelerator whose clients include tennis star Serena Williams's Wyn Beauty line, was purchased by Trivest Partners in 2020 as then-called Fortress Brand Holdings.
Front Row Group works with premium brands in the $300 billion beauty, health, and wellness industries, as well as with CPG brands, to develop and market their voice, identify with consumers, and help them stand out among online offerings of retailers such as Sephora and Amazon.com. Today, Front Row Group has more than 400 clients with offices in New York, San Diego, Hamburg, and Bratislava, Slovakia. Trusted by industry leaders like OUAI, Summer Fridays, Glow Recipe, Designs For Health, Scrub Daddy, Unilever, Bosch, and Wella, Front Row Group empowers brands to achieve their full potential in a competitive marketplace.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the investment, through Charlesbank’s flagship private equity fund, falls within its track record of backing companies valued at $200 million to $700 million with equity checks ranging from $200 million to $300 million.
The Akerman team representing Trivest Partners was led by Corporate Partner Ken Alberstadt and Corporate Practice Group Co-Chair Jonathan Awner. The national legal team also included:
- William Arnhols, Chair, Corporate Finance and Lending Practice
- Brian Bianco, Chair, Intellectual Property Practice Group
- Peter Chiabotti, Partner, Intellectual Property Practice Group
- Melissa Koch, Chair, Technology Transactions Practice
- Felicia Nowels, Partner, International Trade and Customs Practice
- Austin Ownbey, Partner, Corporate Practice Group
- Verity Rees, Partner, Tax Practice Group
- Mary Samsa, Chair, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice
- Scott Silverman, Partner, Labor and Employment Practice Group
- Bill Sullivan, Chair, Federal Tax Practice
- Danny Silva, Special Counsel, Corporate Practice Group
- Louis Giovachino, Associate, Corporate Practice Group
- Lauren Gonzalez, Associate, Corporate Practice Group
- Marc Orlando, Associate, Corporate Practice Group
- Brittany Pushkin, Associate, Corporate Practice Group
- Matthew Raby, Associate, Corporate Practice Group
About Akerman
Founded in 1920, Akerman is recognized as one of the country’s premier law firms, with more than 700 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States.
The Akerman Corporate Practice Group advises public and private companies, including private equity funds, on M&A, capital markets transactions, financings, and other transactional matters, with a strong focus on the middle market. Akerman is top-ranked nationally for mergers, acquisitions and buyouts: middle market by The Legal 500 and is recognized as a leading U.S. law firm by U.S. News - Best Lawyers for corporate, M&A, private equity, securities/capital markets, securities regulation and banking and finance law.