HOUSTON, Dec. 17, 2024 — Stellus Capital Management, LLC (“Stellus”) announced today that its affiliates provided senior debt financing and an equity co-investment in support of Clarion Capital Partners’ (“Clarion”) acquisition of Arthur Murray International, Inc. (“Arthur Murray” or the “Company”), an international franchisor of dance studios.
Founded in 1912, Arthur Murray has 300 dance studios in two dozen countries across the world, establishing the Company as a cornerstone in dance education and franchise operations globally. Gary Edwards, a renowned world-ranked dancer with over four decades of experience within the dance industry, will lead the Company as CEO after serving as an ambassador for Arthur Murray for the last 20 years. Edwards succeeds Philip S. Masters as CEO.
“Clarion is honored to partner with Gary Edwards to continue the Arthur Murray legacy Phil Masters built,” said Eric Kogan, Partner at Clarion, adding, “We appreciate Stellus’ partnership throughout the transaction process and look forward to working together to support Arthur Murray’s continued success.”
Colin Baker, Managing Director at Stellus, added, “We are excited to partner with Clarion, Gary, and the rest of the Arthur Murray team. We look forward to supporting the next phase of growth under Clarion’s ownership.”
SOURCE Stellus Capital Management, LLC
