Advent Has $2 Billion for ‘Niche’ Retail Acquisitions in Brazil

Advent International Corp., a private-equity company, has $2 billion to make acquisitions in Brazil’s retail industry and take advantage of growth in Latin America’s largest economy, the company’s local head said.

“We’re looking at various companies in niche retail areas,” Patrice Etlin, managing partner at Advent in Latin America, said in a telephone interview from Sao Paulo yesterday. Food and household-appliance retailers have gone through a period of mergers and acquisitions, whereas there is still space in specialist retail, including pharmacies and construction materials, he said.