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30th October, 2007
Vaibhav Gems Ltd. Receives $35 Million (US) Investment from Nalanda Capital
Jaipur,
India — October 30, 2007 — Vaibhav
Gems Ltd. (India NSE:VAIBHAVGEM), a multi-national
company in the jewelry industry, today announced an investment
by Nalanda Capital’s India Fund equaling 14.9 percent
share of the company in the form of Global Depository
receipts and an additional 5% stake through warrants.
The total transaction size, if warrants are exercised,
will be about US $35 million.
Nalanda Capital Pte. Ltd is a Singapore-based private
equity investment firm. The firm’s India fund closed at
$400 million in late May 2007. Nalanda Capital Founder
and Manager Pulak
Prasad will represent the firm on the VGL Board. Prasad
was previously managing director in India for the global
private equity firm Warburg Pincus.
“We at Vaibhav are very pleased to have Nalanda Capital
on our board,” said Sunil
Agrawal, Chairman of Vaibhav Gems Ltd. (VGL) “We look
forward to their insights and expertise to take Vaibhav
to next level.”
VGL
has expanded over the past several years to include jewelry
shopping channels in the UK, Germany and the US, 19 retail
stores in Caribbean and Mexico, its own manufacturing
units in India, Thailand and China and a wholesale operation.
In 2005, VGL acquired New York-based STS
Jewels and its subsidiaries, which have continued
to expand products and territories.
“The
Team at Nalanda Capital feels that VGL’s business model
and recent expansions show promise for long-term growth
and a wise investment for its fund as the company is well
diversified and vertically integrated,” continued Agrawal.
The
team at Nalanda Capital has had a long and successful
track record of private equity investing in India. Given
the peculiar nature of the Indian private equity industry,
the Nalanda team believes that the right long term investing
model for India is to apply the private equity discipline
in the public markets. The team has successfully applied
this discipline in their professional careers before Nalanda.
About
Vaibhav Gems Ltd.
Vaibhav Gems Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in
the manufacture and marketing of gemstones and jewelry
primarily in India. VGL is the largest exporter of colored
gemstones from India and one of the largest exporters
of studded jewelry. VGL is a multi national company having
offices across the globe in New
York (STS
Jewels Inc.),
London (The
Jewelry Channel), Germany (Der
Schmuckkanal GmbH), Japan (STS
Gems Japan Ltd.), China (STS Gems China Ltd.), Hong
Kong (STS
Gems Ltd.), and Thailand (STS
Gems Thai Ltd. and STS
Creations Thai Ltd.). VGL can be found online at http://www.vaibhavgems.com.
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