Why Sycamore Partners: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Sycamore Partners Overview

Sycamore Partners is a New York based private equity firm which specializes in distribution, retail, and consumer-related investments.

The firm’s strategy is to partner with efficient management teams so they can improve the profitability and value of the business. They provide flexible capital solutions to help companies succeed.

The areas of focus of Sycamore Partners within the distribution, retail, and consumer sectors include:

• Omnichannel Retail & E-commerce
• Food and Beverage
• Consumer Products
• Multi-Unit Retail Services
• B2B Distribution
• Travel, Leisure & Hospitality

Sycamore Partners was founded by Peter Morrow and Stefan Kaluzny in 2011.

Before Sycamore, Morrow was a Principal at Golden Gate and Kaluzny was a managing partner at Golden Gate Capital.

Sycamore Partners AUM

According to the latest regulatory filings, Sycamore Partners has $11.2 BB in assets under management as of March 30, 2023.

Sycamore Partners Interview Process & Questions

Investment firms can make changes with their interview process. However, you’ll notice some consistencies when you interview at Sycamore Partners (or similar firms) such as:

• Interviews consist of 4 to 6 rounds
• The initial rounds are supervised by junior investment professionals, while the more senior staff handle the succeeding rounds
• Entire process could last several weeks – unless it’s “on-campus” or “on-cycle” recruiting

Expect to receive a combination of behavioral, fit, and technical / investing questions when you interview at Sycamore Partners.

If you’re looking for help with your interview preparation, my Growth Equity Interview Guide is right for you.

Why Sycamore Partners

The most common question you’ll encounter during interviews is the “Why this firm” question.

If you’ve done networking, this is your chance to mention whoever you’ve connected with at the firm and how they’ve made a positive impression on you.

It’s also a great practice to research about the firm so you can come up with a better answer to this question. One way to do this is to listen to interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, and management team.

For example, here’s an interview with Stefan Kaluzny, Founder and Managing Director of Sycamore Partners:

Sycamore Partners Case Study

Case studies almost always show up when you interview at firms like Sycamore Partners. Firms use case studies to assess the level of communication skill and technical knowledge of each candidate.

Investment recommendations and financial modeling are the usual focus of case studies during interviews. However, for junior roles, a cold calling case study may be needed as well.

For more resources on case studies, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Sycamore Partners Salary & Compensation

According to Glassdoor, interns at Sycamore Partners earn an estimated total pay of $63K per year, while analysts have annual salaries of $122K. Figures represent the median total pay and can still vary depending on several factors.

Intern

From other publicly available data, recent associates at Sycamore Partners have annual base salaries of $140,000.

Sycamore Partners Careers, Jobs, & Internships

If you want to be part of Sycamore Partners’ investment team, visit our job board where we feature opportunities for them and other similar investment firms.

Sycamore Partners Portfolio & Investments

According to Crunchbase, Sycamore Partners has made 5 investments and has 2 acquisitions. Some of their notable deals include Azamara, Loft, and Rithum

Notable Transaction: RONA

In February 2023, Sycamore Partners acquired Lowe’s Canadian retail business – which they subsequently renamed as RONA.

According to Stefan Kaluzny, Sycamore’s Managing Director, they were thrilled to announce that RONA has once again become an independent company. They appreciate Lowe’s for entrusting them to lead RONA into its next chapter.

RONA is one of the leading home improvement retailers in Canada. They operate around 450 corporate and affiliated dealer stores under the Lowe’s, Dick’s Lumber, Réno-Dépôt, and RONA banners.

Canadians have been supported by RONA in their construction projects and home improvements since 1939.

Next Steps

Preparation is key to get ahead of other candidates when applying at firms like Sycamore Partners. To make sure you cover all the critical topics during your interview preparation, I highly suggest you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Growth Equity Interview Guide is an online course which helps professionals get a good grasp of case studies, financial modeling, and other concepts that interviewers like to go through during the hiring process.

Take a minute to check it out and start learning today.