BIC Graphic's Emmanuel Bruno on Decision to Sell BIC Graphic

Last week, BIC Group announced that it plans to sell BIC Graphic North America and its Asian sourcing division to an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a global U.S. private equity firm.

Promo Marketing reached out to Emmanuel Bruno, vice president/general manager of BIC Graphic North America for more information on the topic.

Promo Marketing: Can you give us a little bit of background on BIC Group's decision to sell BIC Graphic and the Asian sourcing division?
Emmanuel Bruno: BIC Group conducted a strategic review of their promotional products division and how it would manage it going forward. Ultimately, the review legitimized that North America, along with the Asian sourcing division, was a truly standalone, profitable entity. They determined that their primary focus was consumer products, and that BIC Graphic would be better served under new ownership?

PM: What changes, if any, can distributors expect going forward?
EB: Our management team will remain in place, and we anticipate the transition to be seamless for our customers.

PM: What do you see as the biggest benefit of this move?
EB: We are very excited about our partnership with H.I.G. Our new partners have experience in the promotional products business, and are very supportive of our strategic plan. We will continue to work on the initiatives and projects that we have started. We might even accelerate some of the initiatives with the purpose of extending our business and developing our growth.

We will continue our ongoing commitment to safety and compliance, offering our distributor partners and their customers peace of mind. We are dedicated to new product development, and [research and development] with regards to improved manufacturing capabilities and printing technologies. H.I.G. also supports our planned investments in customer interaction and integration, making it even easier to do business with us. We will continue to evolve our business according to our distributors' needs to be a truly valued partner that they can rely on.

For more information on BIC Graphic, visit www.bicgraphic.com.