The Yucaipa Companies and Garcia Trujillo Announce Investment Partnership Targeting the Fast-Growing Hispanic Marketplace

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• Latin America - español

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yucaipa Companies, LLC ("Yucaipa") and Garcia Trujillo Holdings, LLC ("Garcia Trujillo") today announced that they have formed a new strategic partnership to pursue investment opportunities in the fast-growing marketplace of companies serving the needs of the Hispanic consumers.

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(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111026/LA94077-b)

Founded by Ron Burkle in 1986, The Yucaipa Companies is a leading investment firm which has completed mergers and acquisitions valued at more than $30 billion. Founded in late 2010, Garcia Trujillo is a consulting, merchant banking, and private equity firm founded by Latino business executives to focus on the global Hispanic market. After serving as CEO of three $45 billion market cap companies in the US, EU and Australia, Sol Trujillo joined forces with entrepreneurs Charles P. Garcia and Gary Trujillo. Sol Trujillo serves on the board of directors of Target and WPP Group; Charles Garcia is a board member of Winn-Dixie Stores and once led the fastest growing Hispanic-owned business in the U.S.; Gary Trujillo is the former CEO of bi-lingual internet portal Quepasa.com, where he successfully led its $55 million initial public offering.

Some of Garcia Trujillo's shareholders include Nina Vaca, chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, member of two Fortune 500 boards, Comerica Bank and Kohl's, and founder of a $250 million Dallas based IT Solutions company; Alejandro Silva who sits on the Board of Directors of Walgreen's and is the CEO of the largest pork-rind company in the world; and David Hernandez and Alberto Daire, the co-founders of Liberty Power, a national retail electricity provider, which is one of the ten largest Hispanic owned businesses in America.

The new partnership will seek to employ a dedicated and disciplined approach to capture opportunities created by the emergence of the U.S. Hispanic marketplace. Over 50 million Hispanics live in the U.S. and by 2050, that number is projected to grow to over 132 million. The buying power of U.S. Hispanics is growing by $100 billion per year, projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2015, making the Hispanic market one of the ten largest economies in the world. Hispanic consumers have attractive demographic characteristics, including a younger demographic profile, greater brand loyalty and a higher level of projected lifetime spending than non-Hispanic whites. Further, the nearly three million U.S. Hispanic-owned businesses generate over $500 billion in annual revenues.

Ron Burkle, Managing Director of The Yucaipa Companies, commented, "We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Sol Trujillo and Charles Garcia and their partners at Garcia Trujillo. We believe that the combination of Yucaipa's long track record of investing in companies serving minority communities and the unique leadership position of Garcia Trujillo in the Hispanic marketplace will result in an unrivaled platform to help companies grow and prosper."

Sol Trujillo, Chairman of Garcia Trujillo, commented "We look forward to working with Ron and his team at The Yucaipa Companies and to becoming the trusted, long-term advisor to Hispanic business leaders seeking capital to grow their businesses and strategic advice on how to outperform their competitors."

Both Sol Trujillo and Charles Garcia are invited speakers at the New America Alliance 11th Annual Wall Street Summit to be held October 26-28, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, which convenes CEOs, entrepreneurs, top business leaders, and high-ranking government officials to discuss American Latino participation in building the economic vitality of our nation.

About the Yucaipa Companies, LLC

The Yucaipa Companies is an investment firm with an established record of fostering economic value through the growth and responsible development of business enterprises. Founded in 1986 by Ron Burkle, the firm has completed mergers and acquisitions valued at more than $30 billion. As an investor, Yucaipa works with management to strategically reposition businesses and implement operational improvements, resulting in value creation for investors.

About Garcia Trujillo Holdings, LLC

Garcia Trujillo Holdings, LLC helps management teams to significantly grow their market share in the global Hispanic market by focusing on strategy, execution, organization, and mergers and acquisitions. Founded by top Hispanic business leaders, the firm also operates a merchant bank and private equity firm. More at www.garciatrujillo.com.

SOURCE The Yucaipa Companies, LLC