May 4--The management team of BFi OPTiLAS announced that it has completed a management buyout of the company. BFi OPTiLAS has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Avnet Corp. for more than 10 years, following the acquisition of BFI Ibexsa in 1995 and its subsequent merger with Optilas in 1998. It has operated as a completely autonomous organization within Avnet's European Electronics Marketing Group. During that time BFi OPTiLAS has contributed to the development and profitability of Avnet within Europe.
BFi OPTiLAS' management team has engaged with an independent private equity firm, Activa Capital, in order to acquire a majority stake in the company. Activa Capital manages more than 185 million Euros of investments on behalf of a number of European pension funds, such as British Telecom, insurance companies, fund of funds, and family offices, and has a highly experienced international team dedicated to working with mid-sized companies such as BFi OPTiLAS. Avnet will retain a minority stake in the company.
BFi OPTiLAS will continue to expand its operation as a pan-European distributor of products and services for the electronic and photonic marketplaces.
For more information, visit www.bfioptilas.com.