Private equity funds acquire majority stake in renowned U.S. importer Arctic Fisheries

The history of Arctic Fisheries dates back to 1921, with its headquarters located in Buffalo, New York. The current CEO, Michael Kotok, is the fifth generation to lead this family business. Following the completion of the equity transaction, Kotok will remain a shareholder of the company and retain the team members to continue working together.

Antarctica Advisors, a financial consulting firm based in Miami, Florida, acted as the intermediary in this transaction and represented the interests of Arctic Fisheries' shareholders.

In a statement, Kotok said: "Antarctica's professional team fully understood our needs, leveraging its industry relationships to find an investor who shares our philosophy, values employees, and can help us drive the company's future development. Antarctica will assist us in completing the asset transaction, ultimately bringing a successful deal to all stakeholders."

"The partnership with SNH is significant for us as it provides many channels to expand into new markets and brings additional value to global customers, suppliers, and sustainable fisheries. We are very excited about this," Kotok added.

Ignacio Kleiman, managing partner of Antarctica Advisors, said: "Arctic Fisheries is one of the well-known brand companies in the North American seafood industry, with a history dating back to 1921. We are honored to have earned Michael's trust and to assist in completing this transaction. We look forward to seeing the company continue to thrive."

According to the Arctic Fisheries website, the company originally sourced fish in the Great Lakes region of the United States and later began importing seafood from Iceland, Norway, Russia, Canada, China, Vietnam, and Alaska, USA. The company's product range is extensive, covering species such as Atlantic cod, pollock, hake, snow crab, king crab, lobster, sea bass, white shrimp, tilapia, basa fish, and salmon.

The buyer in this transaction, SNH, was founded by entrepreneur Jevin Sackett in the 1990s. The company primarily invests in medium-sized American businesses, focusing on business services, technology, data centers, and other projects, including credit settlement, IT services, and medical equipment.