Owners of Romanian DIY retailer Dedeman officially launch new private equity fund

Romanian investors Dragoş and Adrian Paval, the owners of do-it-yourself retail chain Dedeman, the most successful entrepreneurial business in Romania, officially launched their new private equity fund, Equiliant Capital, focused on investments in small and medium-sized enterprises.

The fund will be fully financed by Pavăl Holding, a company with a social capital of EUR 1 billion, the largest business directly owned by Romanian entrepreneurs, Ziarul Financiar reported. Dragoş Pavăl owns 60% of the company and Adrian Pavăl holds 40%. They recruited in April Laurentiu Ciocirlan, former head of Raiffeisen Bank’s investment department, to run the private equity fund. Ciocarlan has built a 15-year career with Raiffeisen and has coordinated some of the largest listings on the Romanian stock exchange.

“We think it is a good time to focus on this segment of companies that have very few financing options for development, despite being the most dynamic and promising segment in Romania’s economy,” Dragos Pavăl said in April when announcing plans for the fund.

The Pavăl brothers have been diversifying their holdings in recent years by buying stakes in big listed companies and large real estate properties.

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