NY-HBC
12.4.2022 16:02:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Convene, the leading hybrid meeting, event, and workspace provider, announced today that it has completed its recapitalization plan, led by HBC, a holding company at the intersection of real estate, technology and retail, and a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation (“Ares”) (NYSE: ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220412005446/en/
Convene will operate HBC’s existing portfolio of flexible work, event, restaurant and meeting spaces, which are expected to be rebranded as Convene and will remain branded as SaksWorks in the interim. HBC will be the majority owner of the combined entity, with 26 facilities under management and dozens more under development, which is expected to be the largest premium flex space operator across the US, Canada and Europe.
“We built Convene with a mission of elevating the workday experience. This strategic investment by HBC and Ares provides instant scale and growth opportunities for our business. We are excited to partner with HBC who is equally focused on delivering premium and flexible experiences to enable today’s distributed workforce," said Ryan Simonetti, co-founder and CEO of Convene. "As organizations continue to embrace hybrid work and are demanding higher quality environments in which to gather, we are well-positioned to seize this moment."
Convene combines design, technology, and hospitality to deliver elevated meeting and event spaces that enable business productivity and collaboration. Convene Studio, a proprietary virtual and hybrid events platform, can be added to any Convene or third-party location venue to enable seamless, secure, hybrid, and virtual meetings for up to 10,000 virtual attendees, including full production services.
Convene’s signature award-winning hospitality delivers a human touch in both the physical and virtual worlds. A team of dedicated on-site professionals welcome each guest and offer in-house assistance with everything from catering to IT/AV support, to ensure workday experiences are effortless and personalized. Alongside unlimited craft snacks, tea and barista coffee, Convene’s Head Chefs develop seasonal menus to replenish creative energy in every one of our locations.
With the investment from HBC and Ares, Convene’s future expansion will focus on locations in key urban and suburban markets. As businesses are reimagining their office footprint and hybrid workforce strategies, commercial real estate landlords are also re-thinking what is required to stay competitive in today's dynamic marketplace. Sought-after amenities such as coworking options, on-site culinary offerings, premium and elevated meeting and event venues, and hybrid technology that were once thought of as "nice to have" are now a "must have". Convene is well-poised to bring this fully operationalized solution to a wide variety of commercial real estate partners across the globe.
“Ryan and his management team have a 12-year track record of building world-class destinations for hosting events, meetings, and flexible workspace,” said Hamid Hashemi, COO, HBC Properties & Investments. “We are looking forward to implementing our shared vision across parts of HBC’s real estate portfolio, including the conversion of certain of its assets into Convene locations. With this transaction, Convene will expand its footprint into suburban markets, where people can work and meet closer to home.”
“We are proud to support Ryan and the Convene team in their continued growth as they further enable the future of work through innovative spaces and experiences,” said Craig Snyder, Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of Special Opportunities in the Ares Private Equity Group. “We believe that this transaction will help accelerate Convene’s leadership position and we look forward to being a partner to them as they execute on future opportunities.”
About Convene
Convene is the leading provider of premium meeting and workday experiences with a global network of venues and flexible office locations. Combining design, technology, and hospitality to elevate today’s modern work experience, Convene creates the spaces and experiences that help teams succeed. With Studio, an all-in-one solution for digitally-enabled events, and 23 locations across the U.S. & London including meeting spaces and flexible workplaces, Convene creates your best day at work, wherever it happens. The company has been named one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a Best Workplace by both Inc. and Fortune Magazine.
About HBC
HBC is a holding company of investments and businesses at the intersection of technology, retail operations, and real estate.
It is the majority owner of iconic e-commerce companies: Saks, a leading online destination for luxury fashion; The Bay, a Canadian e-commerce marketplace; and Saks OFF 5TH, a premier luxury off-price e-commerce company offering top brands at the best prices. These businesses were established as separate operating companies in 2021. HBC also wholly owns Hudson’s Bay, the operating company for Hudson’s Bay’s brick-and-mortar stores, as well as SFA, the entity that operates Saks Fifth Avenue’s physical locations, and O5, the operating company for Saks OFF 5TH stores.
With assets spanning top markets and prime locations across North America, HBC owns or controls—either entirely or with joint venture partners—approximately 40 million square feet of gross leasable area. HBC Properties and Investments, the company’s real estate and investments portfolio business manages these assets along with additional real estate offerings, including Streetworks Development, its property development division.
Founded in 1670, HBC is North America’s longest continually operating company and is headquartered in New York and Toronto. For more information visit: www.hbc.com .
About Ares Management Corporation
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2021, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately 2,100 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and approximately $314 billion of assets under management, as adjusted for Ares Management’s acquisition of AMP Capital’s Infrastructure Debt platform which closed February 10, 2022. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220412005446/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Ares Strengthens Commitment to Plenitude Through €1 Billion Capital Contribution1.10.2026 08:30:00 CEST | Press release
Reorganization of Plenitude’s capital structure expands Ares’ economic and governance participation in the company Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a leading global investment manager, announced today that Ares Alternative Credit funds (“Ares”) participated in a reorganization of the shareholding and governance structure of Plenitude through which Ares and Eni S.p.A (“Eni”) upsized their capital contribution by approximately €1.5 billion, of which over €1 billion is attributable to Ares, based on a pre-money equity valuation of Plenitude of €10.75 billion. Following completion of the transaction, Ares holds 26.24% of Plenitude’s share capital, with Eni holding 65.03% and Energy Infrastructure Partners (“EIP”) as an 8.73% shareholder. Ares first invested in Plenitude in 2025, acquiring a 20% stake in the business for approximately €2 billion. This transaction is geared towards strengthening Plenitude’s capital structure and introduces an enhanced governance framework that suppo
Orifarm Unveils 2031 Strategy to Accelerate Growth Across Europe, With Significant Expansion in Generics1.10.2026 08:10:00 CEST | Press release
With its five-year strategy, Fit to Scale, Orifarm sets out an ambitious path to scale across Europe, including a major expansion of its prescription medicines business from a Nordic footprint to a broader European platform. The strategy aims to double EBITDA to €300m and generate more than €3bn in revenue by 2031, marking the next step in Orifarm's journey as a diversified European pharmaceutical company bringing affordable medicines to more customers, patients and healthcare systems. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260930257993/en/ Orifarm Headquarter, Odense Denmark “As European healthcare systems face rising demand, budget pressures, and supply challenges, Orifarm is uniquely positioned to improve access to affordable medicines and strengthen European supply. Our Fit to Scale strategy is about playing an even bigger role in meeting these needs and taking Orifarm to the next level,” says Mads Fink Eriksen,
Thales Launches Sentinel Envelope Plus to Protect Software Against AI-Assisted Reverse Engineering1.10.2026 08:01:00 CEST | Press release
Sentinel Envelope Plus, a new advanced software protection add-on, helps software vendors protect compiled applications against AI-assisted reverse engineering, automated vulnerability discovery, and exploit generation without requiring source code changes In a controlled test, an AI agent identified eight of 10 vulnerabilities in an unprotected application; once the application was protected with Sentinel Envelope Plus, it found none, and the analysis was halted after nearly seven hours. Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, today announced Sentinel Envelope Plus, a new addition to its Sentinel Envelope software protection solution that significantly hardens compiled applications against AI-assisted reverse engineering, automated zero-day vulnerability discovery, and automated exploit generation. Sentinel Envelope Plus applies multiple layers of protection to software applications, without requiring source code changes or any special compilation environments. This press re
NHOA Energy Achieves UNI/PdR 125:2022 Gender Equality Certification1.10.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
The certification marks another step in NHOA Energy’s commitment to equal opportunities and inclusive workplace NHOA Energy, global provider of utility-scale energy storage systems, has obtained the UNI/PdR 125:2022 Gender Equality Certification for its Gender Equality Management System in Italy. Issued by RINA following an independent audit, the certification evaluates the Company’s approach to gender equality through qualitative and quantitative indicators across six key areas: recruitment and hiring, career management, pay equity, parenting and caregiving, work-life balance, and the prevention of workplace abuse and harassment. “Building a strong company also means creating an environment where people have equal opportunities to contribute, grow and lead. This certification is an important recognition of the work already done, but above all a commitment to continue improving the way we support our People and strengthen our culture,” said Anita Maria Ganassali, VP Human Capital of NH
Thales Strengthens Data Security Posture Management to Address Emerging Risks of AI1.10.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
Thales’ CipherTrust Data Security Posture Management platform brings together data discovery, risk analysis and integrated protection to help organizations move from identifying exposure to actively reducing data risk. It helps enterprises protect sensitive data as AI applications and autonomous agents gain access to information across increasingly complex environments. It connects prioritized data risks with protection capabilities across all environments; cloud, on-premises and hybrid environments. Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies for cybersecurity markets, today announced CipherTrust Data Security Posture Management (DSPM). It is the first purpose-built DSPM offering designed to help organizations go beyond discovering exposed sensitive data and applying access-based remediation, enabling them to prioritize risks and protect their most sensitive data directly through encryption, masking, or tokenization natively within the platform. This press release features multim
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom