Investcorp acquires US specialty cookware retailer Sur La Table
20 Sep 2011
Bahrain-based investment manager Investcorp yesterday acquired Sur La Table, the second-largest specialty cookware retailer in the US, after Williams-Sonoma from the Behnke family and investment firm Freeman Spogli & Co.
Investcorp, which has around $12 billion in assets under management, did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Seattle, Washington-based Sur La Table sells thousands of kitchen products, including exclusive and hard-to-find items.
The company offers a vast assortment of bakeware, barware, cleaning products, cookware, cutlery, electrics, furnishings, gadgets, glassware, grilling tools, linens, serving pieces, table décor and more.
Sur La Table was founded in 1972 by Shirley Collins who later sold to the Behnke family. Backed by venture capital funding, the Behnke family rapidly expanded Sur La Table from a single store to 86 stores across the US.
Today, Sur La Table is a multimillion-dollar business also having a mail-order catalogue, gift registry and retail Web site.