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PE Impact Report

86 brands. 68 firms. Here’s what the data looks like.

86
Companies tracked
68
PE firms on file
327
Source citations

By Ownership Status

Where the 86 brands we cover stand right now.

distribution, hover for percentages

  • PE Owned4248.8%
  • On Watch11.2%
  • Formerly PE4147.7%
  • Corporate22.3%

By Sector

Which sectors we’ve covered most.

Biggest Portfolios

The PE firms with the most consumer brands in our database. Major firms own far more than what we’ve documented.

  1. 01
    Roark Capital

    Controls 90,000+ locations across Subway, Dunkin', Arby's, and a dozen more brands. The restaurant empire you didn't know existed.

    12
  2. 02
    Blackstone

    Over $1 trillion under their control. Hotels, hospitals, housing. If it's essential, Blackstone has probably bought it and found a way to charge you more for it.

    8
  3. 03
    KKR

    The firm that saddled Toys R Us with $5 billion in debt, then wrote the playbook every other PE firm copied.

    6
  4. 04
    Bain Capital

    From steakhouses to radio empires, Bain's “turnarounds” occasionally turn around. And occasionally turn into $20 billion bankruptcies.

    5
  5. 05
    Leonard Green & Partners

    Your dental chain, your gym, your craft store, and your car wash. All connected by one firm you've never heard of.

    4
  6. 06
    Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

    Terminix, Safelite, David's Bridal. One of the oldest PE firms in the game, with decades of practice buying the services you depend on.

    4
  7. 07
    Sycamore Partners

    Staples, Walgreens, Hot Topic. Collecting struggling retailers like they're going out of style. Because they are.

    3
  8. 08
    Cerberus Capital Management

    Named after the three-headed dog guarding hell. Which tracks, given what they did to your grocery prices at Safeway.

    3
  9. 09
    3G Capital

    The Brazilian cost-cutting machine that merged Kraft and Heinz, then watched $15 billion in brand value evaporate.

    3
  10. 10
    TriArtisan Capital Advisors

    Small firm, big appetite for restaurant chains that end up in bankruptcy court.

    3
View all 68 firms →

Methodology

About this data

This is an editorially curated database. Companies were selected based on documented consumer impact, not random sampling. Sector and year distributions reflect our coverage choices, not the full PE universe.

Journalists, researchers, and advocates are welcome to reference this data.

Suggested citation

The Squeeze. “PE Impact Report.” pesqueeze.com/report. 86 companies tracked.

Updated regularly as new entries are added and existing ones verified. For questions or corrections, contact us.