Warburg said to be among possible bidders for Brazil's Tok&Stok

Warburg Pincus LLC, Advent International Corp. and Carlyle Group LP may bid for Tok&Stok, the Brazilian furniture seller, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The private-equity firms are among about 10 investors that Banco BTG Pactual SA selected to analyze the Barueri-based company, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan isn't public. Tok&Stok, which has also been offered to strategic investors, has a value of about 1 billion reais ($584m), one of the people said.

Warburg Pincus, Advent and Tok&Stok declined to comment. Carlyle and BTG didn't immediately return e-mails and telephone calls.

Private-equity firms are investing in Brazilian companies to take advantage of the nation's growing economy, which the World Bank said will probably expand 3.4 percent this year. Carlyle, based in Washington, D.C., raised $1bn in June to invest in South American companies, with an emphasis in Brazil. Advent raised $1.65bn in 2010 for its Lapef V fund to invest in the region, and Warburg hired ex-Alcoa Inc. Chairman Alain Belda in 2009 to lead Latin America investments.

Tok&Stok, which was founded by Regis and Ghislaine Dubrule in 1978, has about 2,000 employees and 36 stores across 10 Brazilian states, according to its website. Tok&Stok, short for Estok Comercio e Representacoes Ltda, sells furniture that can be assembled by customers.

(Published by Bloomberg - February 24, 2012)