Kodak Alaris, a brand that owns the rights to the Portra name, was recently acquired by Kingswood Capital Management, L.P.
As some of you may know, Kodak was split into several businesses decades ago. Kodak Alaris is responsible for the branding and distribution of its films like the Portras.
The news is fresh, but some photographers are already making gloomy speculations about film prices increasing. I think this will be impossible to prove untrue, as price increases in film photography are guaranteed — at least due to general inflation. But that’s beside the point: private equity firms have a reputation for damaging the businesses they purchase. So, I did a bit of research on Kingswood to see who they are.
It turns out that Kingswood also owns MEC, an iconic Canadian store brand that sells mountaineering and camping equipment. This acquisition was also met with criticism and disappointment back in 2020 (cbc.ca/news/canada/british…). But four years in I see no significant changes to the stores (as a consumer). I think this is a good indicator of Kingswood being careful about the changes it brings about, especially with brands that have strong consumer recognition.
Besides, pension funds are often thought of as grossly inefficient with their investments. Perhaps, there’s some hope for improvement.
Dmitri Aug 7, ‘24