Boucherville (Québec), July 25, 2022 – Uni-Select Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maslack Supply Limited and related real properties, expanding its presence in Ontario.
Family-owned and operated, Maslack was founded in 1959 and has grown to include 13 locations across northern Ontario, over 200 dedicated employees, and over C$52 million dollars of revenue for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2022. Following the transaction, Maslack’s core management will remain in place and will keep leading operations.
“We are very pleased to be announcing the acquisition of Maslack, the most significant acquisition for Uni-Select since we began our turnaround in Q2 of 2021. The transaction represents a meaningful growth avenue for the Canadian Automotive Group and is evidence of our ability to leverage our solid and improving balance sheet to make sizeable investments to grow our business,” mentioned Brian McManus, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Uni‑Select Inc.
“We are honored to carry on the legacy of the Maslack family and happy to expand our footprint in Ontario -- Canada’s largest market for automotive aftermarket products. We look forward to welcoming Maslack’s employees to leverage our combined strengths and maintain our high standards and quality of operations,” added Emilie Gaudet, President and Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Automotive Group.
Maslack’s owners expressed their confidence in the company’s next chapter: “We are pleased that Uni‑Select, a Canadian company built on the same entrepreneurial foundations as Maslack, is acquiring our family business and carrying on the legacy of our parents in offering excellent service to our customers throughout Ontario. Uni-Select emerged as the obvious buyer because of our shared customer-first approach and appreciation for employees, which are the front line of our business,” shared Betty Jane Marks and Judy Roy, the daughters of Maslack’s founder, John Maslack.
Uni-Select plans to fund the transaction using amounts available under its credit facility and the transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Uni-Select’s net earnings. The transaction is expected to close on or about August 2, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. Uni-Select does not expect to make any further announcement regarding the transaction.
ABOUT UNI-SELECT
With over 5,000 employees in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., Uni-Select is a leader in the distribution of automotive refinish and industrial coatings and related products in North America, as well as a leader in the automotive aftermarket parts business in Canada and in the U.K. Uni-Select is headquartered in Boucherville, Québec, Canada, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol UNS.
In Canada, Uni-Select supports over 16,000 automotive repair and collision repair shops and more than 4,000 shops through its automotive repair/installer shop banners and automotive refinish banners. Its national network includes over 1,000 independent customer locations and more than 80 company-operated stores, many of which operate under the Uni-Select BUMPER TO BUMPER®, AUTO PARTS PLUS® and FINISHMASTER® store banner programs.
In the United States, Uni-Select, through its wholly-owned subsidiary FinishMaster, Inc., operates a national network of over 145 automotive refinish company-operated stores under the FINISHMASTER® banner, which supports over 30,000 customers annually.
In the U.K., Uni-Select, through GSF Car Parts, is a major distributor of automotive parts supporting over 20,000 customer accounts with a network of over 180 company-operated stores. www.uniselect.com
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Certain statements made in this press release are forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. All such forward-looking information is made and disclosed in reliance upon the “safe harbour” provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws.
Forward-looking information includes all information and statements regarding Uni-Select's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking statements often, but not always, use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. In addition, statements with respect to management expectations in terms of earnings accretion constitute forward-looking information and financial outlook within the meaning of Canadian securities laws.
Forward-looking information is based on Uni-Select’s perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that Uni-Select believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information is, by its very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Uni-Select, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from Uni-Select’s expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information. Uni-Select cannot guarantee that any forward-looking information will materialize, and we caution readers against relying on any forward-looking information. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not restricted to: risks associated with the timing of the closing or the failure to close the Maslack transaction, with the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced demand for our products, disruptions of our supplier relationships or of our suppliers’ operations or supplier consolidation, disruption of our customer relationships, competition in the industries in which we do business, security breaches, information security malfunctions or integration issues, the demand for e-commerce and failure to provide adequate e-commerce solutions, retention of employees, labor costs, union activities and labor and employment laws, failure to realize benefits of acquisitions and other strategic transactions, product liability claims, credit risk, loss of right to operate at key locations, failure to implement business initiatives, failure to maintain effective internal controls, macro-economic conditions such as unemployment, inflation, changes in tax policies and uncertain credit markets, operations in foreign jurisdictions, inability to service our debt or fulfill financial covenants, litigation, legislation or government regulation or policies, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, compliance with privacy laws, global climate change, changes in accounting standards, share price fluctuations, corporate social responsibility and reputation and activist investors as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in Uni-Select's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com).
Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and Uni-Select disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which the forward-looking information is based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking information.
Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information is presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding Uni-Select’s expected financial results, as well as our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook and our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes and should not be relied upon as necessarily being indicative future financial results.
Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled "Risk Management" of our MD&A, for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in our MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021, and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows and financial condition.