One of the biggest names in Olympic-level competition and bespoke game shotguns is now under the control of a company owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad.
Strnad's Czechoslovak Group, or CSG, last week announced it had acquired an 80-percent stake in family-owned Armi Perazzi S.p.A. While the purchase price was not detailed, Perazzi had earnings of 14.3 million Euros in 2021.
Founded in 1957 by Italian gunsmith Daniele Perazzi, who passed in 2012, the shotgun maker today has offices in both Italy and the U.S. Its guns have helped competitors secure no less than 62 Olympic medals at 11 Olympics – including a gold medal by Czech trap shooter David Kostelecký at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Currently run by Roberta and Mauro Perazzi – who will retain a 20 percent stake in the company – the firm's 30,000-square-foot factory in Botticino makes about 1,500 guns per year, with some highly customized examples taking upward of six months to produce. They see the partnership with the larger Czech firm as a key step to help grow the company.
"The decision to find a strategic partner to whom we would sell a majority stake in the company was motivated by our desire to ensure a secure future, sustainable growth, and strengthen the company’s unique position in the global luxury arms market," said Mauro. "We decided to partner with CSG, which also has roots as a family business because CSG understands our history and business philosophy."
As for CSG, as previously reported by Guns.com, it is a Prague-based holding company that owns several Czech defense firms, including Tatra, Atrak, and Retia, as well as a majority stake in Fiocchi ammunition, whose own brands include Baschieri & Pellagri and Lyalvale Express. Between its facilities in Europe and America, CSG has over 10,000 employees.
The group has a pending $1.9 billion all-cash deal for Minnesota-based Vista Outdoor's ammunition brands including CCI, Federal, Hevi, Remington, and Speer – some of which date back over a century. These are made across four factories in Minnesota and Arkansas and employ approximately 4,000 people.
