Czech CSG Group, the global industrial-technology company owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, has purchased a majority stake in the Italian, family-owned Armi Perazzi S.p.A., manufacturer of high-quality shotguns for sport shooters and 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 2022 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.”
Roberta Perazzi added, “With CSG’s entry into Armi Perazzi, we expect to strengthen our competitiveness. We see CSG as a strong, successful multinational company that will allow us to continue to produce prestigious hunting and sporting firearms. CSG will help us succeed in the market and open up new business opportunities with its experience.”
Michal Strnad, owner of CSG, commented on the acquisition of Armi Perazzi: “Armi Perazzi is a prestigious brand in the field of firearms for sport shooters and elite hunters. At the same time, it is a stable and prosperous company that the Perazzi family excellently manages. The motivation for this acquisition is not only financial but also to strengthen CSG’s international prestige and reputation as a global and innovative industrial group expanding in Europe and the USA.”
CSG’s manager responsible for the acquisition of Armi Perazzi and its future development is CSG Investment Director Stanislav Kuba, who summarizes the goals for the company’s further development: “We want to maintain the excellence and exclusivity of Armi Perazzi products, bring new customers to the company, and also to leverage its strong brand, especially in connecting CSG further to the shooting sports.”
A long-time user of Perazzi shotguns is sport shooter and successful Czech trapshooting competitor David Kostelecký, who commented on the fact that the company is being acquired by a Czech owner: “I have an excellent partnership with Armi Perazzi that has lasted for over twenty years. They provide me not only with their great shotguns, but also with constant service and support. I know Mauro and Roberta Perazzi very well, having visited their Lombardy factory on several occasions. They are great people and responsible entrepreneurs. I am very happy that this prestigious Italian company is becoming a part of CSG, and I look forward to continuing our relationship.”
Recently, CSG also announced signing an agreement with the NYSE-listed US company Vista Outdoor to acquire its Sporting Products division, which manufactures leading global brands of small-caliber ammunition such as Federal and Remington. The acquisition of Armi Perazzi proves that CSG is systematically working on its strategic plan to build itself as a global leader in the sport shooting and hunting category.
About Armi Perazzi
Armi Perazzi S.p.A. is a firearms company specializing in the segment of shotguns for the sport discipline of trap (shooting at asphalt or clay targets) and for hunting. Perazzi’s guns have helped top shooters from different countries win 62 Olympic medals at 11 Olympics. The company has offices in Italy and California, USA, and exports its products to 50 countries.
The company’s founder is the Italian gunsmith Daniele Perazzi who, in 1956, filed the first patent for a shotgun of his production and opened a small workshop. A year later, he set up a factory and began hiring employees. Daniele was personally involved in producing firearms in his company until he died in 2012, when he was 80 years old. His descendants currently run the company. Roberta Perazzi is in charge of finance and administration, and Mauro Perazzi is responsible for production.
Perazzi is located in Botticino, Lombardy, Italy. The production plant occupies an area of 9000m2, and the neighboring shooting range covers another 11000 m2.
Armi Perazzi produces an average of 1500 firearms per year. The key business, which accounts for 80-percent of sales, is producing models for sport shooting. Each shotgun is custom-made according to the customer’s requirements and takes 6 months to produce, from component machining to testing. Although the company uses modern technology in its production, a significant part of a product is handmade by experienced gunsmiths. All customers can shoot their guns in the on-site shooting tunnel before final testing. The stocks and handguards are made of walnut from centuries-old trees. According to the customer’s wishes, the metal parts of the firearm are engraved by master craftsmen.
The company’s revenues for 2021 amounted to EUR 14.3 million and is highly profitable.
About CSG Group
The global industrial-technology group CSG, owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, has key manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, India and the USA, and exports its products all over the world. In the USA, CSG is established via two production facilities of its member company Fiocchi, which produces small caliber ammunition in Little Rock, Arkansas and Ozark, Missouri.
In 2022, the holding’s consolidated revenues reached over USD 1 billion. The main fields of CSG are engineering, automotive, railway, aerospace, defense, and production of small-caliber ammunition. Thanks to the strong pro-export orientation of the holding, CSG products can be found on all continents, and the number of customers of the holding is constantly growing.
