Back to Press Releases

KKR Sells European Locomotive Leasing to AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets and Crédit Agricole Assurances

December 20, 2019

Leading European leasing provider for rail transport co-founded and built by KKR’s Infrastructure platform

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, announces today the signing of a definitive agreement under which a consortium formed by AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets, acting on behalf of its clients (“AXA IM – Real Assets”) and Crédit Agricole Assurances will acquire European Locomotive Leasing (“ELL”), a leading pan-European provider of electric locomotive leasing solutions.

ELL was established in early 2014 by founder and CEO Christoph Katzensteiner together with KKR’s first Infrastructure fund, KKR Global Infrastructure Investors. The investment rationale was to meet the significant and unfulfilled market demand for modern, versatile electric locomotives, thereby supporting the broad political agenda to shift freight transportation from road to rail – a more economic and ecological transportation method – as well as to facilitate liberalization and competition in the rail market by offering leasing solutions to market players. Since its inception, the company has thrived and significantly exceeded initial expectations. While the initial business plan foresaw the purchase of a fleet of 50 locomotives, the company has after five years of operations built a fleet of over 150 locomotives that are leased on long-term contracts to over 20 customers across Continental Europe.

During that period, KKR has provided consistent support to the ELL team including through its dedicated Capital Markets team, which has led several rounds of financing for the company, each time expanding and enhancing the initial financing package put in place at inception of the company in 2014. The investment demonstrates KKR’s unique proposition in the infrastructure space, bringing experience of over four decades of building and improving businesses to the infrastructure sector, with a particular focus on businesses that have a strong ESG impact.

Vincent Policard, Member at KKR in European Infrastructure, said: “Having been there from day one, we are especially proud of what we have been able to create over the last five years together with Christoph and his incredible team. We have no doubt the future of ELL is bright and we will continue to cheer for the company from the sidelines.”

Christoph Katzensteiner, founder, CEO and minority shareholder in ELL, said: “I would like to thank KKR for having believed in us from the beginning and having enabled me and my team to turn the vision we had for ELL into a successful reality. I also want to welcome AXA IM – Real Assets and Crédit Agricole Assurances as our new partners, who will provide significant further resources to bring our company to the next level.”

The investment in ELL was made through KKR Global Infrastructure Investors, KKR’s maiden vehicle in the infrastructure space raised in 2011/2012. KKR has been active in the infrastructure space for a decade and currently has around $20bn AUM. The global infrastructure platform has completed over 30 investments in that period, half of those in Europe, across the energy & utility, transportation and telecom sectors. The team is currently investing KKR Global Infrastructure Investors III, a USD 7.4bn vehicle raised in 2018, and has been active in Europe this year with transactions including the acquisition of a majority stake in Hyperoptic, a leading UK fiber broadband provider.

Crédit Agricole CIB acted as financial advisor to KKR Infrastructure; Vinson & Elkins and K&L Gates served as legal counsels on the transaction.

For more information:

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Media
International
Alastair Elwen
Finsbury
Alastair.elwen@finsbury.com
+44 20 7251 3801

Germany
Raphael Eisenmann / Stephanie Lorbach
Hering Schuppener
+49 69 92 18 74-86 / Phone: +49 69 92 18 74-24
reisenmann@heringschuppener.com / slorbach@heringschuppener.com

Source: KKR


Download PDF

Back to Press Releases

Media Contacts

Americas

Kristi Huller
Julia Kosygina
Liidia Liuksila
Telephone: +1 (212) 750-8300

Email: media@kkr.com

EMEA

Annabel Arthur
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
Julia Leeger
Telephone: +44 20 7839 9800

Email: kkrpr-uk@kkr.com

Asia-Pacific

Wei Jun Ong
Telephone: +852 3602 7335

Email: media@kkr.com

Investor Relations

‍Craig Larson
Telephone: +1 (877) 610-4910
Outside US: +1 (212) 230-9410
Facsimile: +1 (212) 750-0003
Email: Investor-Relations@kkr.com

×

Listen to webcast

This presentation contains certain forward-looking statements pertaining to KKR & Co. Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “KKR”), including certain investment funds, vehicles and accounts that are managed by KKR (each, a “fund”). Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements are based on KKR’s beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to it. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to KKR or are within its control. If a change occurs, KKR’s business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, including but not limited to, assets under management, fee paying assets under management, after-tax distributable earnings, capital invested, syndicated capital, uncalled commitments, cash and short-term investments, fee related earnings, fee and yield segment EBITDA, core interest expense and book value, may vary materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to vary from the forward-looking statements: whether KKR realizes all or any of the anticipated benefits from converting to a corporation and the timing of realizing such benefits; whether there are increased or unforeseen costs associated with the conversion, including any adverse change in tax law; the volatility of the capital markets; the general volatility of the capital markets; failure to realize the benefits of or changes in KKR’s business strategies including the ability to realize the anticipated synergies from acquisitions or strategic partnerships or other transactions; availability, terms and deployment of capital; availability of qualified personnel and expense of recruiting and retaining such personnel; changes in the asset management industry, interest rates or the general economy; underperformance of KKR's investments and decreased ability to raise funds; and the degree and nature of KKR’s competition. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. KKR does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date on which such statements were made except as required by law. In addition, KKR’s business strategy is focused on the long-term and financial results are subject to significant volatility.

Additional information about factors affecting KKR, including a description of risks that may be important to a decision to purchase or sell any common or preferred stock of KKR & Co. Inc., can be found in KKR & Co. Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov.

I understand  |   Go back
×

Listen to Presentation

Before viewing this presentation, please acknowledge your understanding that it has been prepared for KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) for the benefit of its public stockholders and is not intended to be a solicitation or sale of any of the securities, funds or services that it may discuss. Please click on "I understand" to view the presentation.

I understand  |   Go back