Private equity firm Calera Capital is buying endurance sports leader Competitor Group Inc. for close to $250M, sources said, ending a nine-month auction of the company. The CGI management team, led by CEO Scott Dickey, will remain in place as they move from working under one private equity firm, Falconhead Capital, to another. Calera becomes the latest such investor in the space, replacing Falconhead and joining Providence Equity Partners, which owns the Ironman Triathlon series. “Financial investors are looking at different tailwinds -- whether obesity, health and wellness, declining financing for physical education in schools, [or] health costs -- and are looking at ways to get in on that wave of change,” Dickey said. The deal was nearing completion late last week. It was expected to be finalized early this week, if not already complete. Financial firms, including companies other than Calera, were not the only businesses that looked at buying CGI, which Falconhead bought in '08 for an undisclosed price. AEG, Madison Square Garden Co., Lagardère Group and Tour de France operator Amaury Sport are among the strategic parties that considered the property, as did several individuals, sources said. In all, 32 entities made initial bids, a number that was scaled down to six and then to a final two, a source said. The identity of the runner-up could not be determined.
