The Bluebird Group, a HIG Capital Portfolio Company, Completes Acquisition of 479 Sales & Marketing

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HIG Capital (“HIG”), a leading global alternative investment firm with over $48 billion in equity under management, is pleased to announce that its holding company, The Bluebird Group (” Bluebird”), acquired 479 Sales & Marketing, LLC (“479”), a full-service retail consulting firm based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

With nearly two decades of experience, 479 provides leading brands with the strategic planning, operations consulting, account management, digital optimization and data analytics services needed to succeed at Walmart, Walmart.com and Sam’s Club.

Jason Kapsner, CEO of Bluebird, said, “In 479, we have found a partner who shares our priorities of being analytically forward-thinking and trusted stewards of our brand and retail partners. We look forward to providing our customers with a broader service offering that taps into 479’s Walmart expertise.”

John Crimmins, CEO of 479, and Tyler Darnall, Partner at 479, said, “This partnership opens up many opportunities for our retail and brand partners who value data and execution. Together, our tools will extract even more layers of data to uncover consumer trends. that will give our customers an edge in the market.”

Andrey Vakhovskiy, Managing Director of HIG, said, “Bluebird’s goal is to be the trusted advisor with unique insights and data recommendations on the most important sales channels brands engage in. We believe the combination with 479 continues to strengthen and evolve Bluebird’s service offering.

About Bluebird Group

The Bluebird Group is a retail services and consulting company serving some of the world’s most innovative and beloved brands. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Bluebird provides the strategic planning, operational consulting, account management, digital optimization, and data analytics necessary for brands to execute and optimize sales.

About HIG Capital

HIG is one of the world’s leading alternative asset investment firms with over $48 billion in equity under management. * Based in Miami and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, HIG specializes in providing debt and equity capital to small and medium enterprises, using a flexible and operational value-driven system. – added approach:

1. HIG’s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and spin-offs of profitable and underperforming manufacturing and service companies.

2. HIG’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing of companies of all sizes, both on a primary (direct origination) basis and in the secondary markets. HIG is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and operates a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.

3. HIG’s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from better asset management practices.

4. HIG Infrastructure is focused on making value-added and more grassroots investments in the infrastructure sector.

Since its inception in 1993, HIG has invested in and managed over 300 companies worldwide. The company’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales exceeding $30 billion. For more information, please visit HIG’s website at www.higcapital.com.

* Based on total capital commitments managed by HIG Capital and its subsidiaries.