 |
SOHO HOUSE & CO INC. SIGNS DEFINITIVE TAKE-PRIVATE AGREEMENT (United States)
MCR investors to make meaningful new money investment. |
Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States - Industry economy
- Group or hotel buyout
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on Thursday 21 August 2025
Shareholders to receive $9.00 per share in cash, an 83% premium to the unaffected share price
Existing shareholders including Ron Burkle and Yucaipa to roll controlling equity interest in the Company
MCR Investors to make meaningful new money investment. Apollo to provide financing through a customized hybrid capital solution, with Goldman Sachs Alternatives continuing its financial support.
Soho House & Co Inc. (NYSE: SHCO) (“SHCO”, “Company”, “we” or “our), the global membership platform that connects a vibrant, diverse, and international group of members, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements pursuant to which an investor group led by MCR and its Chairman and CEO Tyler Morse will acquire the outstanding shares of Soho House not held by certain significant shareholders.
SHCO Executive Chairman Ron Burkle and the Yucaipa Companies LLC (“Yucaipa”) will roll their controlling equity interests in the Company and retain majority control of the business.
Holders of common stock of the Company will receive $9.00 per share in cash, a premium of approximately 83% over the closing stock price as of December 18, 2024, the last trading day prior to Soho House’s announcement of receipt of the offer. The offer implies a total enterprise value of approximately $2.7 billion for SHCO.
Transaction Details
Under the terms of the agreements, MCR, the third largest hotel owner-operator in the United States, will become a shareholder of SHCO and Tyler Morse will join the Company’s Board of Directors as Vice Chairman.
MCR’s portfolio includes iconic assets such as the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, The High Line Hotel and the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City and the BT Tower in London. MCR’s cloud-based hospitality software assets include property management system Stayntouch and hotel operations software Optii.
MCR’s hotels are frequently featured in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Hotels and Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
MCR was also named one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Travel Companies.
Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo (“Apollo Funds”) are supporting the transaction through a hybrid capital solution, by providing additional capital in the form of debt and common equity, a portion of proceeds will be used to refinance the Company’s existing Senior Secured Notes.
Further new equity capital will be provided by a consortium of strategic investors led by prominent technology investor Ashton Kutcher, who will also join the Company’s Board of Directors following completion of the transaction.
Existing significant shareholders including Richard Caring, Nick Jones and Goldman Sachs Alternatives, will roll the majority of their shares of the common stock of the Company. Goldman Sachs Alternatives is also committing additional capital. Hybrid Capital at Goldman Sachs Alternatives has been invested in Soho House since 2021 and will continue to support the business through this transaction.
As previously announced in December 2024, SHCO’s Board of Directors formed a Special Committee (the “Special Committee”), comprised solely of independent directors and advised by its own independent legal and financial advisors. Upon the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board of Directors approved the proposed transaction.
Eric Deardorff, Chairman of the Special Committee, said:
“After detailed consideration by the Special Committee with the assistance of our outside financial and legal advisors, we determined that the $9.00 per share in cash consideration delivers meaningful and immediate value to stockholders. We look forward to working with the teams at the Company and the various financing sources to complete the merger.”
Andrew Carnie, CEO of Soho House & Co, said:
“This transaction reflects the strong confidence our existing and incoming shareholders have in the future of Soho House & Co., and the transformation we’ve led since becoming a public company. Since our IPO in 2021, we’ve focused on building a stronger, more resilient business. Against a backdrop of challenging economic conditions and global uncertainty, from 2022-2024 we delivered consistent, disciplined growth with revenue increasing at an average annual rate of double digit growth, and Adjusted EBITDA growing at over 50% annually during the same period.”
“We’ve expanded our global footprint, welcoming new members into Houses in creative and culturally important cities such as São Paulo, Mexico City, Nashville, and Paris — while continuing to build strong connections with members and invest in Houses that we’ve called home for many years. Behind the scenes, we’ve embarked on a significant transformation of our finance and operational systems, giving us the tools to scale efficiently and position the business for long-term success.”
“Returning to private ownership enables us to build on this momentum, with the support of world class hospitality and investment partners. I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished and am excited about our future, as we continue to be guided by our members and grounded in the spirit that makes Soho House so special.”
Tyler Morse, Chairman & CEO of MCR, said:
“Soho House is a place of creative connection, where freedom of expression and character thrive. All of us at MCR are excited to be part of the Soho House journey, helping to create more experiences, interactions and memories alongside friends and members. We have long admired Soho House for bringing together cultures from around the world into a global network of 46 Houses, and we look forward to the continued growth of that fabric, starting with four new Houses opening soon.”
“MCR’s investment in Soho House represents a strategic opportunity to combine our operational expertise with one of the most distinctive brands in hospitality. Our shared goal is to safeguard the member experience, drive sustainable international growth for House members, and protect and expand the cultural and creative foundation that has made Soho House a global industry leader. Together, we are confident in our ability to deliver long-term value for members, employees and shareholders alike.”
Reed Rayman, Partner at Apollo, said:
“Soho House is a globally renowned brand with a talented management team and exciting growth prospects. We are pleased to leverage our scale and flexibility to provide a highly customized capital solution to support this transaction. This is a prime example of Apollo’s hybrid capital at work, flexing across both debt and equity and working closely with the Company and its investors to craft a structured solution at scale.”
Beat Cabiallavetta, Global Head of Hybrid Capital at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, said:
“We look forward to our continued partnership with Soho House. The company has established itself as a leading global membership platform, with a differentiated offering and strong track record. We are excited to support the next stage of Soho House’s development in partnership with its management team and shareholders.”
The proposed transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, including the approval of the transaction by a majority of the votes cast by stockholders other than the new investors, the rollover stockholders, the Company’s directors and executive officers and their respective affiliates.
Upon completion of the proposed transaction, SHCO’s common stock will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Advisors:
Citi is serving as financial advisor to the Company and Sidley Austin LLP is serving as legal counsel to Soho House & Co.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor to the Special Committee and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP are serving as legal counsel to the Special Committee.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as legal counsel to the Apollo Funds.
Canaccord is serving as financial advisor to MCR.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP is serving as legal counsel to Richard Caring.
About Soho House & Co
Soho House & Co is a global membership platform of physical and digital spaces that connects a vibrant, diverse and global group of members. These members use Soho House to work, socialize, connect, create and flourish all over the world. We began with the opening of the first Soho House in 1995 and remain the only company to have scaled a private membership network with a global presence. Members around the world engage with Soho House through our global collection, as of June 29, 2025, of 46 Soho Houses, 8 Soho Works, Scorpios Beach Clubs in Mykonos and Bodrum, Soho Home – our interiors and lifestyle retail brand – and our digital channels. The Ned in London, New York and Doha, The LINE and Saguaro hotels in North America also form part of Soho House & Co’s wider portfolio.
About MCR
MCR is the 3rd largest hotel owner-operator in the United States. Founded in 2006, the firm, which has offices in New York City, London, Dallas, Chicago, and Richmond, Virginia, has a $5.0 billion portfolio of 150 premium-branded hotels operated under 31 brands. Today, MCR offers more than 25,000 guestrooms in 37 states and 107 cities. Its iconic hotels include the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, The High Line Hotel in New York City and the Sheraton New York Times Square. MCR is also developing the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City and the BT Tower in London. MCR was named one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Travel Companies — and was ranked by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women in 2025. MCR’s hotels are frequently featured in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Hotels and Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Consistently recognized for excellence in service and operations, MCR is the proud, three-time recipient of the Marriott Partnership Circle Award, the highest honor Marriott presents to its owner and franchise partners, and the Hilton Legacy Award for Top Performer. For the TWA Hotel, MCR won the Development of the Year (Full Service) Award at The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), the Urban Land Institute New York Excellence in Hotel Development Award and the American Institute of Architects national Architecture Award, the highest honor given by the AIA.
About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2025, Apollo had $840 billion of assets under management.
About Goldman Sachs Alternatives
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) is one of the leading investors in alternatives globally, with over $500 billion in assets and more than 30 years of experience. The business invests in the full spectrum of alternatives, including private equity, growth equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, sustainability, and hedge funds. Clients access these solutions through direct strategies, customized partnerships, and open-architecture programs.
The business is driven by a focus on partnership and shared success with its clients, seeking to deliver long-term investment performance drawing on its global network and deep expertise across industries and markets.
The alternative investments platform is part of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which delivers investment and advisory services across public and private markets for the world’s leading institutions, financial advisors and individuals. Goldman Sachs has approximately $3.3 trillion in assets under supervision globally as of June 30, 2025.
|
|
