Czech CSG Group, the global industrial-technology company owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, announces the purchase of the majority stake in the Italian, family-owned Armi Perazzi S.p.A., manufacturer of high-quality shotguns for sport shooters and elite hunters. Typical owners of these premium firearms, of which Perazzi produces approximately 1,500 units per year, are Olympic medalists, successful competitive shooters being amongst them. One such individual is the Czech Olympic gold medal winner in trap from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, David Kostelecký.
CSG also operates two small-caliber ammunition factories in the USA.
The company’s founder was Daniele Perazzi, an Italian gunsmith who realized his dream of producing the highest-quality shotguns worldwide when he founded the Armi Perazzi company in 1957. Currently, the company is led by the founder’s descendants, Mauro and Roberta Perazzi. CSG acquires an 80-percent stake in the company while the Perazzi siblings share the remaining 20 percent equally. The business will continue to be run by the Perazzi family and the current management team. The acquisition process on the selling side was assisted by the Milan-based consulting and investment company FAI, with legal advice provided by the law firm Gianni & Origoni.
The purchase of Perazzi is CSG’s second major acquisition in Italy. Last year, the company acquired a majority stake in Fiocchi Munizioni, the manufacturer of small-caliber ammunition, which operates production facilities in Italy, the UK, and the USA (where it has two production sites: one in Ozark, Missouri, and the second in Little Rock, Arkansas). Perazzi serves the American market through its subsidiary, Perazzi USA Inc., in Azusa, California. Perazzi USA is the sole importer and distributor for the United States market.
Mauro Perazzi said, “The decision to find a strategic partner to whom we would sell a majority stake in the company was motivated by our desire to ensure a secure future, sustainable growth, and strengthen the company’s unique position in the global luxury arms market. We decided to partner with CSG, which also has roots as a family business, because CSG understands our history and business philosophy.”