18 July 2013
Lonsdale Capital Partners has announced its latest acquisition of a majority stake in the leading Irish educational publisher, CJ Fallon.
Established in 1927 and based in Dublin, CJ Fallon works with a network of authors to develop educational textbooks which it distributes through schools and bookshops. It has a strong and recognisable brand in Ireland and is the market leader in the primary schools market.
Lonsdale is backing the current management team, led by Brian Gilsenan. Brian has been with the business for 5 years and has had a long career in publishing, sales and marketing, having previously established a publishing business, specialising in educational books.
The deal has been supported by a number of individual investors as well as Souter Investments, the private investment office of Stagecoach founder, Sir Brian Souter.
Alan Dargan, Partner, Lonsdale, commented:
“Anyone educated in Ireland is familiar with the name CJ Fallon. It is a leader in providing textbooks to Ireland’s schoolchildren, especially in the core subjects of Maths, English and the Irish language.
Education is changing in Ireland as it is elsewhere and we believe that Brian Gilsenan and his team are ahead of the trends. We are confident that they will deliver future growth.”
Brian Gilsenan, CEO, CJ Fallon, commented:
“This investment is excellent news for CJ Fallon. Lonsdale was the preferred choice of the management team and we look forward to working with them, to maximise both the strengths and the potential of the company.”
