Henry Jackson (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Henry Jackson is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman, who is Managing Partner and Chief Executive of OpCapita LLP, based in London. He is married to singer Stacey Jackson
Stacey Jackson
Stacey Jackson, is a Canadian singer and mother of four living in London, England. She is married to British-American businessman, Henry Jackson, and she is the Executive Producer at 3B1G Records.-'Live it Up ft...

 and has four children with her.
According to its website, OpCapita LLP is a private investment firm that focuses on operational change opportunities in the retail, consumer and leisure sectors throughout Europe. Jackson founded OpCapita's predecessor, Merchant Equity Partners, in early 2006.

Experience as an adviser

Jackson has over 25 years of experience working with senior management teams of leading consumer businesses in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the US on strategic change. Before setting up MEP, he was a Managing Director of Deutsche Bank AG and head of its European Consumer and Retail Group. Prior to this he held partner-level positions at Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston was the former name of the banking firm Credit Suisse.-History:In 1978, Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation formed a London-based 50-50 investment banking joint venture called the Financière Crédit Suisse-First Boston...

 (CSFB), Peter J. Solomon Company
Peter J. Solomon Company
Peter J. Solomon Company is a boutique investment bank based in New York City which initiates and completes mergers and acquisitions, provides counsel to corporate boards and renders fairness opinions through its Special Committee Practice; assists companies on financial restructurings through its...

, and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette or DLJ is a defunct U.S. investment bank founded by William H. Donaldson, Richard Jenrette and Dan Lufkin in 1959. Its businesses included securities underwriting; sales and trading; investment and merchant banking; financial advisory services; investment research;...

 (DLJ).
Henry has extensive transaction experience in M&A, restructuring, and public and private financings of both debt and equity. He has also served on the boards of directors of a number of companies, both private and publicly listed. In 1995, Henry was named as one of Crain's New York's 40 Under 40. Jackson is the grandson of Henry L. Jackson, a co-founder of Esquire Magazine and, later, men's fashion editor of Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....

.

MFI

The first acquisition made by Merchant Equity Partners in September 2006 was MFI. MEP paid £1 to acquire the company and then lent it £50 million on a senior secured basis. In turn, MFI's parent paid MEP a dowry in cash of over £130 million. At the time of acquisition, MFI was the market leader in the UK selling kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms and had 200 stores with turnover of £600 million but negative EBITDA of £40 million. During MEP's ownership, MFI was returned to breakeven profitability within 18 months as MEP improved its products, invested heavily in a new 750,000 sq. ft. distribution centre, successfully implemented SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...

 computer systems and sold its remaining freeholds and long leaseholds to finance some of the turnaround. But the onset of recession hit MFI hard, and the company returned to losses. MEP sold MFI to the management of the company in September 2008 exiting its investment with a small profit.

BUT

MEP acquired BUT, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 home-appliances store chain in March 2008. BUT is a leading furniture and electrical retailer in France generating over €1.3 billion in turnover through a national network of over 230 directly owned and franchised stores. Merchant Equity Partners, Colony Capital and Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...

 acquired BUT from Kesa Electricals for €550 million. At the time of acquisition, BUT was a profitable but operationally underperforming non-core subsidiary of a large retailer which had been through a number of ownership changes. MEP developed and then successfully implemented a plan to stimulate sales growth, change the product mix, alter the sourcing strategy, reduce prices, introduce entry price point products, invest in store refurbishments and acquire many of the franchisees, all to improve the company's long-term profitability.

ACQ Magazine Deal of the Year

In July 2008, Henry Jackson and Merchant Equity Partners were awarded the ACQ Magazine
Guide Magazine (ACQ)
Guide: "The Way to Freedom and Truth" is published bi-monthly by the religious organization Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name. ACQ Publication Editorial Office is located at Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, Catitipan, Davao City....

 Large Deal of the Year award for completing the BUT transaction.

Comet

In November 2011, OpCapita agreed to buy loss-making electricals retailer Comet Group from Kesa Electricals, the London Stock Exchange listed group. OpCapita paid a nominal fee of £2- £1 for Comet with another £1 for its warranty company, Triptych Insurance. As part of the proposed deal, Kesa Electricalsis investing £50m in Comet white OpCapita and its financial backers are investing £30m to provide Comet with ample liquidity. Kesa Electricals will retain responsibility for Comet's pension scheme and will retain a stake in the business. The transaction is due to complete in February 2012.
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