Dutch private equity firm Wadinko acquired the shares in Deventer-based bed manufacturer Koninklijke Auping from NPM Capital in early November 2017. NPM Capital had been a shareholder in Koninklijke Auping since 1986.

In partnering with Wadinko, Koninklijke Auping will be able to further increase its presence and expand its operations in growth markets in the Benelux region, Germany and Scandinavia.

Sustainable business and production

In the Netherlands, the name ‘Auping’ is virtually synonymous with a good night’s sleep – a credit to the high quality, supreme comfort and stunning, contemporary designs of Auping’s box springs, beds and mattresses.
The success of the company – which was issued a Dutch Royal Warrant of Appointment in 1988 – can be attributed to its more than 125 years of expertise, coupled with the latest advances in technology, ergonomics and design.

Koninklijke Auping has been the recipient of numerous awards and certificates over the decades for its quality, reliability and design. Besides its stated objective of ‘working on tomorrow’s ultimate sleeping comfort with passion and curiosity’, Auping also aims to be a leading presence in sustainable business and production. The company believes that an inspiring and stimulating work environment plays an important role in the organisation’s talent for innovation and is committed to building a sustainable relationship with the built and natural environments. The company has embraced the cradle-to-cradle principle with this objective in mind, which should allow it to transition to fully circular production processes by 2020.

NPM Capital’s Managing Director, Bart Coopmans, is happy with Wadinko as Auping’s new shareholder: ‘Our journey with Auping over these past decades has been very successful. The company has grown immensely and has an excellent market position: the Auping Plaza concept has been implemented internationally and the e-commerce platform provides customers with online options to meet their requirements as far as sleeping comfort is concerned. With Wadinko as its new shareholder, Auping is ready for the next stage in its growth trajectory.’

More information about Wadinko and Auping

GPA Global today announced the signing of a 100% stake in MW Luxury Packaging, a leading provider of premium packaging solutions to the spirits, beverage and health & beauty industry with operations in the UK, the US, Mexico, China and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong-based GPA Global (“GPA”), an EQT Mid Market company, is a one-stop-shop premium packaging and display solutions provider with customers primarily within consumer electronics, mobile accessories and games & toys sectors. EQT Mid Market acquired GPA in March, 2017 with the mission to support the company’s continued growth and explore opportunities to expand the business into new customer verticals through synergistic acquisitions.

Founded in 1998, MW Luxury Packaging (“MW”) offers concept design, engineering, production management and distribution services. After combining the businesses, GPA’s strategy is to further strengthen MW’s supply chain and distribution capabilities, continue to develop the global clientele and capture cross-selling synergies to create a combined full-service platform.

“We are impressed by MW Luxury Packaging’s superior design capabilities and strong reputation in its core markets and industry segments. The partnership means that GPA can utilize and further develop MW’s well-established European customer network to build a strong global platform. The acquisition is an additional step in GPA’s future proofing process and EQT is excited to see the company now entering a new growth phase with accelerated development and a broadened product offering”, says Martin Mok, Partner at EQT Partners in Hong Kong, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market.

Tom Wang and Adam Melton, co-founders of GPA, jointly continue: “We are excited to work with MW Luxury Packaging to build a world-class premium packaging and interactive display solutions platform. With MW Luxury Packaging’s strong existing clientele in premium liquor and health and beauty, the transaction will allow GPA Global to become the leader in an expanded client segment, providing substantial cross-selling potential with our existing offerings. The strong design team as well as sales footprint in the UK, Europe and Americas also serves as a strong addition to our existing platform. We look forward to working closely together with MW Luxury Packaging and jointly develop GPA Global to the next level.”

The founder of MW, Anthony Dowler, who will become a shareholder in GPA and continue to develop the company’s growth strategy, concludes: “GPA Global offers an exciting business model with strong reputation and credibility across a number of markets and verticals. With an extensive sales, design, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution team in Asia, I believe GPA will provide MW with the platform to continue to expand its footprint with existing and new clients. We are confident that the partnership will bring on tremendous synergies and allow the combined business to serve our customers at a whole new level.

Link to the EQT Update on www.eqtpartners.com