Monthly Archives: February 2018

Bewi to acquire Synbra Holding

Gilde Buy Out

Etten-Leur and Solna – BEWi Group AB (“BEWi”) today announced that it has submitted a binding offer to acquire Synbra Holding B.V. (“Synbra”), a leading manufacturer of particle foam products for thermal (building and construction) and technical (HVAC, protective, automotive and food) industries, from a consortium led by Gilde Buy Out Partners (“Gilde”). The combination with BEWi would create a European particle foam specialist with strong positions in numerous countries. The relevant works councils and other employee representative bodies will be consulted prior to formal agreement. Parties have agreed not to disclose the terms of the conditional agreement. Completion of the transaction is anticipated to take place in the first half of (subject to completion of the relevant works council procedures in accordance with relevant legislation).
Synbra is pure-play developer and manufacturer of particle foam products made of expanded polystyrene (“EPS”), expanded polypropylene (“EPP”) and expanded poly-lactic acid (“EPLA”). Through a vertically integrated business model, Synbra offers upstream particle foam production and downstream conversion into blockformed and cut or shape moulded products for the thermal and technical insulation markets. Founded in 1957, Synbra has established itself as a key player in its chosen geographies by leveraging continuous product innovation, operational excellence and M&A. Headquartered in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands, Synbra operates 14 strategically located production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Portugal, and employs a workforce of circa 900 FTE.
Rik Dobbelaere, CEO of Synbra, explains: “With Gilde as a partner we have been able to build a European platform with a pure-play particle foam strategy based on innovation and operational excellence. We developed into an innovation leader in the industry and have become a leading player in our chosen geographies. We are very pleased with BEWi as our new business partner and believe both companies would fit very well, both culturally and strategically. There is a strong geographical and business complementarity, creating exciting new growth opportunities. We look forward to embark upon on this industrial project together and believe a great future lies ahead for all stakeholders involved.”
Christiaan Bekken, CEO of BEWi, added:
“We are pleased to bring in the knowledge and expertise of the Synbra team and are impressed by the innovation level of the Company. Synbra has an excellent position in markets complementary to those of BEWi. The contemplated combination of BEWi and Synbra creates a leading particle foam specialist in Europe, well balanced between upstream and downstream. We believe both companies fit very well culturally and look forward to our future together.” Lincoln International and Rabobank acted as Financial Advisors to the sellers. Loyens & Loeff acted as Legal Advisor to the sellers. Read more at: http://gilde.com/news/2018/bewi-to-acquire-synbra-holding

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AURELIUS completes acquisition of Connect Books

Aurelius Capital

Munich/London – 15 February 2018 – AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8) (“Aurelius” or “the Group”), the listed pan-European mid-market investor, today announces that its subsidiary AURELIUS Omega Ltd. has completed the acquisition of Connect Books from FTSE-listed specialist distribution company Connect Group Plc.

Significant potential for the Aurelius operating model

Aurelius sees significant potential for Connect Books and in the coming months its operational task force experts will support the business’ leadership team in executing a carve-out from Connect Group, ensuring minimal distraction from the company’s day-to-day business. Aurelius will also work with the team to implement its planned strategy to drive efficiencies and accelerate growth across its full brand range, strengthening its operations, and focusing on expanding the business’ international footprint, service offering, marketing capabilities and e-commerce platform.

Following the deal, Connect Books will be rebranded back to Bertram Group.

Dirk Markus, CEO of Aurelius, commented: “Despite some challenges, we are very pleased to have completed a deal that is mutually beneficial to all parties. Connect Books is an exciting business and one for which Aurelius’ specialism is very well suited. We look forward to working with the company to provide the financial and operational support that will allow the business to reach its full potential.”

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BEWi to acquire Synbra Holding

Gilde Buy Out

Etten-Leur and Solna – BEWi Group AB (“BEWi”) today announced that it has submitted a binding offer to acquire Synbra Holding B.V. (“Synbra”), a leading manufacturer of particle foam products for thermal (building and construction) and technical (HVAC, protective, automotive and food) industries, from a consortium led by Gilde Buy Out Partners (“Gilde”). The combination with BEWi would create a European particle foam specialist with strong positions in numerous countries. The relevant works councils and other employee representative bodies will be consulted prior to formal agreement. Parties have agreed not to disclose the terms of the conditional agreement. Completion of the transaction is anticipated to take place in the first half of (subject to completion of the relevant works council procedures in accordance with relevant legislation).
Synbra is pure-play developer and manufacturer of particle foam products made of expanded polystyrene (“EPS”), expanded polypropylene (“EPP”) and expanded poly-lactic acid (“EPLA”). Through a vertically integrated business model, Synbra offers upstream particle foam production and downstream conversion into blockformed and cut or shape moulded products for the thermal and technical insulation markets. Founded in 1957, Synbra has established itself as a key player in its chosen geographies by leveraging continuous product innovation, operational excellence and M&A. Headquartered in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands, Synbra operates 14 strategically located production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Portugal, and employs a workforce of circa 900 FTE.
Rik Dobbelaere, CEO of Synbra, explains: “With Gilde as a partner we have been able to build a European platform with a pure-play particle foam strategy based on innovation and operational excellence. We developed into an innovation leader in the industry and have become a leading player in our chosen geographies. We are very pleased with BEWi as our new business partner and believe both companies would fit very well, both culturally and strategically. There is a strong geographical and business complementarity, creating exciting new growth opportunities. We look forward to embark upon on this industrial project together and believe a great future lies ahead for all stakeholders involved.”
Christiaan Bekken, CEO of BEWi, added: “We are pleased to bring in the knowledge and expertise of the Synbra team and are impressed by the innovation level of the Company. Synbra has an excellent position in markets complementary to those of BEWi. The contemplated combination of BEWi and Synbra creates a leading particle foam specialist in Europe, well balanced between upstream and downstream. We believe both companies fit very well culturally and look forward to our future together.” Lincoln International and Rabobank acted as Financial Advisors to the sellers. Loyens & Loeff acted as Legal Advisor to the sellers. Read more at: http://gilde.com/news/2018/bewi-to-acquire-synbra-holding

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Ardian extends global reach with Tokyo office

Ardian

Paris, Tokyo, 15 February 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the opening of an office in Tokyo, Japan. As well as deepening already established relationships in Japan, the new office will consolidate the company’s growth across the Asia Pacific region. Adding to Ardian’s multi-local approach to managing client relationships, the company now has a total of 13 offices, with three in Asia, following the opening of offices in Singapore and Beijing in 2005 and 2012 respectively.

Japan forms an important part of Ardian’s international development strategy. It will continue to be a significant base for the company in terms of both fundraising and investing, and will build on Ardian’s established strong presence in the region. Ardian has more than a dozen blue-chip clients in Japan, which represent over $2bn of AUM and comprise some of the most respected pension plans, insurance companies and financial institutions.

The office will be led by Kanji Takenaka, who joins Ardian as Head of Japan and Managing Director. Mr Takenaka’s career includes senior roles at Simplex Real Estate, Fortress Investment Group, Norinchukin Bank and most recently at HarbourVest Partners, where he held the position of Principal.

Dominique Senequier, President of Ardian, said: “The opening of our office in Japan is a natural progression for us as we continue our strategy of evolving and growing our business globally. Ardian has established itself as a leading player in the global investment industry and this latest office opening marks our commitment to the region. As more and more Japanese pension funds, companies and institutions are increasingly looking to diversify their investments outside of the domestic market, Ardian is well placed as a global investment house to provide an array of quality opportunities to deliver superior returns.”

Jan Philipp Schmitz, Member of the Executive Committee of Ardian and Head of Asia, said: “This is a great step for Ardian, and it will allow the company to meet the requirements of a market in which we see a lot of growth to come. We already know the Asian market well. We have nearly 50 clients in the region, who have invested $8.2bn in our funds, while we have made nearly 100 fund investments in addition to 20 direct investments. Having this local footprint is essential in serving our existing clients, as well as attracting new ones and benefitting from emerging opportunities.”

 

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$66bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.

Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.

Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 480 employees working from thirteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), North America (New York, San Francisco) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of 650 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

Follow Ardian on Twitter @Ardian

www.ardian.com

 

 

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PwC Sweden sells Business Services division to IK Investment Partners – Creating exciting opportunities for developed services to small and medium-sized enterprises

ik-investment-partners

IK Investment Partners (“IK”), a leading Pan-European private equity firm, is pleased to announce that the IK VIII Fund has reached an agreement with PwC Sweden (“PwC”) to acquire its business services division for accounting, payroll and related advisory services (“Business Services”). Business Services will continue to operate under a new brand which will be developed during the upcoming months.

Business Services is the market leader in accounting, payroll and related advisory services with 71 offices and approximately 1,100 employees across Sweden. Business Services, which operates as a separate division within PwC, supports over 27,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Business Services had a turnover of more than SEK 950 million in 2017, and has shown annual growth of 8% the last three years.

“We are impressed by Business Services’s digital offering through the business platform MyBusiness, the strong corporate culture and customer focus as well as the experienced management team. Operating on a market characterised by growth and high fragmentation, Business Services, with its leading position, is in a strong position to capitalise on the market opportunities presented. Together with Business Services’s partner group, which are also participating in the acquisition as shareholders, we believe that through our active ownership model, we can help the organisation to further strengthen its long-term prospects,” says Alireza Etemad, Partner at IK Investment Partners.

“We have taken the strategic decision to focus on our audit, tax and advisory activities and will make a major investment in the segment for small and medium-sized customers. For these customers, we will provide a much broader portfolio of audit, tax and advisory services. At the same time, we look forward to a continued close collaboration with Business Services through their developed market offering to the benefit of our joint customers. It was very important for us to find a buyer with the right ambition, skills and financial strength, all of which we found in IK Investment Partners,” says Peter Nyllinge, CEO of PwC Sweden.

“Our passion is to help Swedish small and medium-sized enterprises grow by letting them focus entirely on their core business. The separation from PwC means that we can offer a wider selection of services to many more companies, that for regulatory reasons we were prevented from assisting earlier. Our focus on the development of digital services, including a new version of MyBusiness which will be launched later this year, together with IK’s solid experience to support growing companies and continued close collaboration with PwC, creates exciting opportunities for us and our customers alike,” explains Magnus Eriksson, CEO of Business Services.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary approvals, including concluded negotiations with relevant trade unions

For further questions, please contact:

IK Investment Partners
Alireza Etemad, Partner
Phone: +46 8 678 95 24

Mikaela Hedborg, Director Communications & ESG
Phone: +44 77 87 573 566
mikaela.hedborg@ikinvest.com

PwC
Peter Nyllinge, CEO PwC Sweden
Phone: +46 709 29 30 60

Magnus Eriksson, CEO, Business Services
Phone: +46 709 29 11 25

About IK Investment Partners
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Nordics, DACH region, France, and Benelux. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €9 billion of capital and invested in over 115 European companies. IK funds support companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com

About PwC Sweden
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. In Sweden, we are market leading in assurance, accounting, advisory and tax services. After the divestment of Business Services, we will be approximately 3,000 employees at offices all around Sweden. We’re part of a network of firms in 158 countries with more than 236,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. For more information, visit www.pwc.se/en

 

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Gilde Healthcare company RAD-x continues Buy & Build with acquisition of Swiss Medical Imaging Centers

GIlde Healthcare

Utrecht, The Netherlands – RAD-x, a France-based operator in diagnostic imaging and a portfolio company of Gilde Healthcare, announced that it has acquired Swiss Medical Imaging Investment SA (SMII), which operates the imaging centres Centre d’Imagerie Médicale de la Chaux-de-Fonds, Centre d’Imagerie Médicale du Chablais and Centre d’Imagerie Médicale du Chablais Valaisan.

SMII is a leading diagnostic imaging provider in the Swiss cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud and Valais and was founded and developed by the radiology entrepreneur Dr. Pierre Chevalley, who as part of this transaction becomes a shareholder in RAD-x.

With the acquisition of SMII, RAD-x expands its national reach and capabilities and strengthens its position as the partner of choice for diagnostic imaging centres and radiologists by combining medical excellence with state of the art management capabilities. With this transaction RAD-x is now able to offer the full range of imaging services from general to very specialized imaging as well as interventional radiology. Next to its expansion in Switzerland, RAD-x is progressing on its development in Germany and France.

 

About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized European healthcare investor managing two business lines: a venture & growth capital fund and a lower mid-market buy-out fund. Gilde Healthcare’s venture & growth capital fund invests in medtech, diagnostics, digital health and therapeutics. The portfolio companies are based in Europe and North America. Gilde Healthcare’s lower mid-market buy-out fund invests in profitable European healthcare services companies with a focus on the Benelux and Dach-region. The portfolio consists of healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and other service providers in the healthcare market. Since 2001 Gilde Healthcare has raised €800 million ($1 billion) for its specialized funds. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gildehealthcare.com

Gilde Healthcare

Gilde Healthcare is a specialized European healthcare investor managing two business lines: a lower mid-market buy-out fund and a venture & growth capital fund. It has over €800 million ($1 billion) under management and is actively looking to lead new investments in digital health, diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics and healthcare services across Europe and the US.

 

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Nordic sports facility market leader UNISPORT acquires Virklund Sport’s business

Nordic sports facility one-stop-shop service partner Unisport strengthens its position and acquires substantial part of business and assets from Virklund Sport`s bankruptcy estate. Unisport is the market leader in sports facilities surfaces and equipment in the Nordic countries. Virklund Sport is a strong player in Danish market and has 60 years of experience. With this acquisition and combined product portfolio Unisport will strengthen its position not only in Denmark but also in the whole Nordic market.

“Unisport warmly welcomes Virklund Sport`s customers and partners to join our family. We already operate and serve the same clientele in markets, and now together we can offer more comprehensive one-stop-shop service and world-class solutions for our customers. Together we`ll be stronger”, says Mikko Kilpeläinen, CEO of Unisport.

Unisport has a deep knowledge and wide product portfolio in sport facilities and Virklund Sport`s business areas complete that especially with high-class indoor products and services.

“Danish market has a very positive outlook for coming years in number of sport facility projects and we see potential on consolidating indoor and outdoor markets. Our purpose is to make people move and offer better facilities and conditions for athletes and spectators. By combining Unisport`s and Virklund Sport`s excellencies we are moving one step closer for our vision to have a healthier society. We believe that by creating more attractive sports facilities, we can increase well-being in our society. To secure our joint business plan moving forward we have nominated Stefan Andersson, as an Enterprise Project Manager, to lead the integration of Virklund and Unisport”, Kilpeläinen continues.

Acquired Virklund Sport’s business will continue underneath Unisport Scandinavia ApS in Denmark. Unisport maintains Virklund Sport as a commercial brand name for products and services.

“From the very first day of our business, the company focused on creating high-quality products for Danish sport. Our aim has been to inspire our customers and partners to create sports projects that encourage movement and a sense of community. Unisport shares the same vision and values and for sure there will be even more attractive sport facilities designed and built in Denmark by Unisport. Together, Unisport and Virklund have the potential to become the leader in indoor and outdoor sports facilities in Denmark. This is an excellent opportunity and we are looking forward becoming a part of Unisport”, says Johannes Madsen, Sales Development Manager of Virklund Sport.

More information:

CEO, Mikko Kilpeläinen, +358 50 542 5884, mikko.kilpelainen@unisport.com
Enterprise Project Manager, Stefan Andersson, +46 70 941 42 55, stefan.andersson@unisport.com
Country Manager Denmark, Jan Lyngemark, +45 50 80 05 23, jan.lyngemark@unisport.com

Unisport is today the clear market leader in sports facilities surfaces and equipment in the Nordic countries. The key customer groups are municipalities, sports clubs and construction companies. Unisport has a pro forma turnover of 130 million euros and 300 employees in 6 countries. The head office is located in Helsinki. The companies operating in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the UK, and Latvia complement each other product-wise and geographically. The aim is to reach a significant growth in sales and to become a leading North European one-stop service partner whose sports facility concepts provide the best environment for athletes as well as spectators. www.unisport.com

 

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Fintech company Zervant raises €6 million funding

Tesi

Finnish fintech company Zervant, which provides online invoicing software for small business and entrepreneurs across Europe, has announced €6 million in funding. The investment was led by Tesi, along with Northzone, NFT Ventures and Conor Venture Partners.

Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, Zervant offers simple, intuitive invoicing software. It’s already used by 20,000 business customers across seven countries, with 85% of current growth coming from France, Germany and the UK.

The company plans to use the investment to grow the use of electronic invoicing among its core demographic – micro businesses. It will also look to introduce a range of premium features for users, designed to ease the financial pressures that come with running your own business.

“We founded our company to ‘help entrepreneurs succeed’, and that is still what drives us day in, day out. This investment will help us to grow even faster across Europe, and help micro enterprises to benefit from the market shift driven by legislation. We’re also looking forward to offering them new solutions that will speed up their invoicing cash flow”, says Mattias Hansson, Zervant co-founder and CEO.

The focus on electronic invoicing is particularly relevant, given that the EU has issued a directive on the matter, which comes into force this year, and aims to make electronic invoicing the main form of invoicing in Europe by 2020.

“Regulatory changes in the financial space, along with the widespread switch to digital, present entrepreneurs with a whole new set of possibilities for running their businesses more efficiently. It’s our goal to make sure that they have access to all this potential – be it by helping with access to finance or helping our customers make smarter business decisions”, Hansson adds.

As a part of the financing round Niklas Savander will also join Zervant’s board. Niklas has over 20 years of experience as an executive in global technology companies, and expert knowledge within the financial sector. “Zervant’s offering is unique, and has huge market potential. I’m very excited to be joining their team”, says Savander.

Jussi Sainiemi, Investment Director at Tesi, comments that “Zervant has shown very impressive growth by tripling its active customer base to 20,000 businesses during 2017. Zervant’s service is widely considered to be the technology leader in the field of digital invoicing for SMEs. We are particularly excited about the company, as it is our first investment in the fintech sector”.

For more information:
Mattias Hansson, CEO, Zervant
+358 45 267 3007
mattias.hansson@zervant.com

Jussi Sainiemi, Investment Director, Tesi
+358 40 564 4660
jussi.sainiemi@tesi.fi

About Zervant
Zervant provides simple online invoicing for small businesses across Europe. Its core markets are France, Germany, the UK, Finland and Sweden. Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, Zervant was founded in 2010 and has raised over 14 million Euros of venture capital and angel funding. In 2017 1,000,000 invoices were sent using Zervant, with a face value of €1 billion www.zervant.com

About Tesi
Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a venture capital and private equity company that accelerates companies’ success stories by investing in them directly and via funds. Tesi always invests together with other investors, providing them with access to high quality deal-flow in Finland. Our investments under management total 1 billion Euros and we have altogether 723 companies in portfolio. www.tesi.fi / @TesiFII

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Bridgepoint acquires Safety Technology Holdings from Golden Gate Capital

Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint, an international private equity firm, today announced that it has acquired Safety Technology Holdings (“STH”), the world’s leading supplier in the design and manufacture of safety test equipment, specialty fiber, custom engineered stress & strain solutions and software modelling, from Golden Gate Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Christopher O’Connor, President and CEO, said: “We are proud of the strong foundation we built through our partnership with Golden Gate Capital and are delighted to welcome Bridgepoint as shareholders, who have a track record of building and providing long-term support to the businesses with whom they work. We are already a global business but will undoubtedly benefit from the Bridgepoint network, especially in Europe and China, to drive future growth and continue to deliver world leading safety solutions for our customers.”

Andrew Sweet, Partner at Bridgepoint commented: “STH is a pioneer in saving lives. Its technology is uniquely positioned to address the opportunities presented by disruptive developments such as driverless and electric cars and increased safety regulatory requirements. We look forward to working with the company to pursue its many avenues of growth.”

Rajeev Amara, Managing Director at Golden Gate Capital commented: “We have enjoyed an amazing partnership with Chris O’Connor. Under Chris’ leadership, the company has successfully executed on its growth strategy, which has resulted in the doubling of its size in just four years, by expanding into adjacent markets across a variety of product lines. We are confident the company has a bright future ahead.”

The investment in STH is made by Bridgepoint Europe V, a €4 billion middle market buyout fund. Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to Bridgepoint and Moelis & Company served as financial advisor to Golden Gate Capital.

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3i invests in Royal Sanders to accelerate international growth

3I

3i Group plc (“3i”) today announces that it will invest in Royal Sanders, a leading European private label and contract manufacturing producer of personal care products with plants in the Netherlands (Vlijmen) and in the UK (Preston). 3i is investing alongside management to drive the company’s international growth strategy. The business is being purchased from Dutch private equity firm, Egeria.
Royal Sanders’ main product categories include shampoo, bath and shower gels, body lotions and hand wash and its key geographies are the Benelux, Germany and UK. The company sells its products through private label, contract manufacturing and own brands including Van Gils, Sanicur and Odorex.
The company has demonstrated a consistent and strong track record of profitable growth over the past 10 years with 13% sales CAGR, significantly outgrowing the market. It differentiates itself through its focus on quality, its longstanding relationships with key customers and its superior operational capabilities at its state-of-the-art facilities.
Pieter de Jong, Partner at 3i Benelux, commented: “Royal Sanders has enjoyed strong organic growth in recent years and is now ready to drive consolidation in a fragmented industry. We see multiple potential buy-and-build opportunities across geographies and are very excited to be working with the management team to support them in this next phase of growth.”

Bart Hullegie, CEO of Royal Sanders, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with 3i. It has extensive experience in buy-and-build in private label, for example through its investment in European soft drinks bottler Refresco, and in growing companies internationally through its network of valuable industry experts in the consumer sector.”

The transaction is subject to customary antitrust approvals.

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