HopLop and Leo’s merge to create Europe’s largest indoor activity playground group

CapMan Special Situations press release 
23 January 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EET

HopLop and Leo’s merge to create Europe’s largest indoor activity playground group

Leo's Lekland group and HopLop group – the leading indoor playground chains in the Nordics have merged. The merger will enable the group to offer even more versatile playing and activity opportunities for families in Finland and to accelerate international growth.

Litorina IV, the main owner of Leo's, and CapMan Special Situations I, the main owner of HopLop, have agreed on an ownership arrangement that will unite Leo's Lekland and HopLop into Europe's leading indoor playground group. The owners of both chains will continue in the combined group.

Leo's and HopLop have the same goal; to create a meeting place for families where they can play, exercise, and have fun. The combination will further strengthen the group operations and accelerate development and international growth. The HopLop chain will continue to operate in Finland with the HopLop brand.

“Our investment in HopLop in the spring of 2021 secured the continuity of the business through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the restructuring of the company’s balance sheet. Following this merger, HopLop will become part of Europe’s leading indoor activity playground group. The merger further strengthens the conditions for the combined entity to expand and prosper”, says Jari Vikiö, Partner at CapMan Special Situations.

The new group will be Europe's largest family focused activity and exercise company. It has a total of 68 parks in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany.

For further information, please contact:

Jari Vikiö, Partner, CapMan Special Situations, +358 40 505 0733 
Antti Uusitalo, Partner, CapMan Special Situations, +358 40 020 2663

About CapMan Special Situations

CapMan Special Situations pursues event-driven investment situations by providing flexible capital solutions and strong operational capability to deliver step-change performance improvements.

CapMan Special Situations is part of CapMan Group, a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation and approx. €5 billion in assets under management. Our objective is to pro,vide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We are dedicated to set science-based targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover minority and majority investments in portfolio companies and real estate, and infrastructure assets. We also provide wealth management solutions. Our service business includes procurement and analysis, reporting and back office services. Altogether, CapMan employs approximately 180 professionals in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, London and Luxembourg. We are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001. www.capman.com