Explore the issues
Find more information on the issues deeply affected by private equity investments:
Buyouts: LACERS Commits to Roark Fund Despite Board Member Concerns: “How and When Are They Planning to Make Change?”
Private equity firm Roark Capital owns a number of fast food chains like Dunkin Donuts, Jimmy John’s, Sonic, Arby’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings. Roark’s portfolio companies and their franchisees employ almost a million workers. A report last year from…
Roark Capital-owned Dunkin’ Runs on Poverty Wages and Wage Theft
In December 2020, the Roark Capital-owned company Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ Brands for $11.3. billon. Dunkin’ Brands operates Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins. Dunkin’ Donuts, the second largest coffee chain in the U.S. behind Starbucks, has a long record of…
Is Roark Capital Building a Franchise Bubble?
The Private Equity Stakeholder Project published a report on Atlanta-based Roark Capital Partners IV, which specializes in buying and running franchise businesses, especially within the food and restaurant industry. The performance of Roark, which closed at $2.5 billion in…
Largest Private Equity-Owned Employers Concentrated in Low-Wage Industries
The main US private equity lobby group, the American Investment Council (AIC), released a report in 2019 touting private equity’s contributions to the US economy by employing millions of workers.[1] Since private equity firms buy out companies with…
Is Roark Capital Building a Franchise Bubble?
The Private Equity Stakeholder Project has published a report on Roark Capital, which has collected billions from investors in recent years. Will those investors get it back? Private equity firm Roark Capital, based in Atlanta, recently launched fundraising for…
Washington Post: In a Hedge Fund’s Bid for Tribune’s Newspapers, a Hidden Risk Lurks in the Fine Print
In its bid to acquire investment-starved newspaper chain Tribune Publishing, the hedge fund Alden Global Capital vowed to provide $375 million in cash to the owner of the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun and others. But industry and financial experts…
Power in a Pension Forum: Labor, Private Equity, and Climate Justice
In the race to mitigate the effects of climate change, there is growing urgency to interrogate the role private equity plays in exacerbating the climate crisis, using labor-affiliated pension fund capital. Even as publicly traded companies begin to commit to…
Deliveroo’s IPO Tanks after Workers Protest, Investors Revolt
The Private Equity Stakeholder Project has been working with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and UK group ShareAction to engage investors regarding Deliveroo, a venture capital-backed UK-based food delivery company that operates on a gig…
Roark Capital, Warburg Pincus Both Near a Million Employees at Their Portfolio Companies Following Recent Acquisitions
In the last six months, a few private equity buyouts have dramatically increased the number of people working for private equity-owned companies. In October 2020, Roark Capital acquired Dunkin’ Brands, which has 330,000 people working at its Dunkin’ Donuts…
BC Partners Feasts on Chewy’s Riches, Leaves Table Scraps for PetSmart Workers
Private equity firm BC Partners has siphoned off billions of dollars from PetSmart, while leaving its workforce underpaid, overworked, and exposed to COVID-19. In 2015, BC Partners acquired PetSmart, the largest pet store chain in North America with over 1,600…
$5 an Hour Sonic Workers Ask Roark Capital to Allow Tips, Ensure Safe Working Conditions at Fast Food Chain
Roark Capital’s Inspire Brands division owns some of the largest fast-food chains: Dunkin’ Donuts, Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, Hardees, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Sonic. According to a recent Newsweek article, Sonic parent Inspire Brands, owned by Roark Capital, recently sent…
