Kirkland Advises HGGC on Majority Investment in Planet Fitness Franchise Group PF Atlantic Holdings
Kirkland & Ellis advised HGGC, a leading middle market private equity firm, on its majority investment in PF Atlantic Holdings, a top-15 franchisee within the Planet Fitness health club system. In conjunction with the investment, PF Atlantic Holdings is rebranding as Grand Fitness Partners. Co-founders CEO David Bidwell and COO Scott Linsky will continue to lead the business and retain a significant minority stake in the business alongside current investor Monogram Capital. Details of the private transaction were not disclosed.
The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Thomas Laughlin and Jack Shirley, with support from corporate partner Marc Browning and associates Hyrum Clarke and Brock Baker, technology & IP transactions partner Vlad Khodosh and associate Thao Thai, tax partners Kevin Coenen and Bill Dong and associate Joe Morley, labor and employment partner R.D. Kohut and associates Xander Flynn-Tabloff, Melissa Harclerode and Paul Vasiloff, employee benefits partner Matt Antinossi and associate Kairvi Tijoriwala, executive compensation partner Rohit Nafday and associate Anthony Ji, real estate partner Rob Miceli and associates Stephanie Scheer and Jenny Aronsohn, antitrust partner Matthew Wheatley, debt finance partners Sonali Jindal and Austin Glassman and associates Elena Babakhanyan, Jose Barragan-Monge and Tar Rakhra and asset finance & securitization partner Sara Whyte.