Loopia Group AB has today signed an agreement to acquire Planeetta Internet Oy. The business provides sustainable cloud driven webhosting solutions, including e-commerce, to companies of all sizes. For Loopia, this is well aligned with the strategy for growth in the Nordic countries and Central Eastern Europe and another step towards having the scale to provide an even better user experience for our 500 000+ customers.

Planeetta Internet Oy has 20 000 customers and 36 employees in Helsinki, Joensuu and Rovaniemi. In addition to bringing loyal customers and a strong position in the Finnish market, with the brands Planeetta, Ops.Host, Neutech and Webhotellit.com, Planeetta also brings a broadened product- and services suite to the group, including a website maintenance business and an innovative approach to scalable cloud hosting accounts.

”Backed by Loopia Group, Planeetta will be in a perfect position to continue grow through acquisitions in Finland to further strengthen our position as a leader in sustainable cloud driven webhosting solutions”, says Lauri Kasti, founder and Managing Director of Planeetta Internet Oy.

”Planeetta’s smart webhosting solutions complement the business in Loopia Group and support our ambition to deliver a superior user experience, technological innovations and outstanding local support to small and medium sized businesses and consumers across Europe”,  says Sara Laurell, CEO Loopia Group.

After the transaction, Loopia will have around 200 qualified employees in total and 500 000+ customers in Scandinavia, Central Eastern Europe, and in a few Western European markets.

About Loopia Group
Loopia Group is an innovative European web services and hosting business with its largest operations in Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Loopia also provides services to customers in Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Serbia and Spain. Our main brands are Loopia, Active24, Websupport and Planeetta. Since June 2018, Loopia Group has been owned by Axcel, a Nordic private equity firm focusing on mid-market companies.
https://loopiagroup.com/

For more information, please contact:
Sara Laurell, CEO Loopia Group, +46 72 708 4848, sara.laurell@loopiagroup.com

Wireless Logic Group, Europe’s leading IoT connectivity platform provider today announced the acquisition of SIMPoint, one of the fastest growing IoT connectivity specialists in The Netherlands.

Founded in 2012 and located in Eindhoven, SIMPoint delivers customised M2M (Machine-to-Machine) connectivity solutions based on cellular (2G, 3G and 4G) and Low Power Wide Area Networks (LoRa) technologies and is a partner to KPN.

The business offers customised data plans, variable durations, extended security (VPN’s and customised APN’s) and control for customers via an industry leading customer portal. Highly customisable offers and excellent customer service have enabled SIMPoint to grow a base of over four thousand highly satisfied customers across a wide range of industry verticals including retail, security, healthcare, water management, automotive, utilities, smart cities and agriculture.

The acquisition by Wireless Logic Group for an undisclosed sum is the group’s sixth in just four years. It is the second since Montagu Private Equity invested into the organisation earlier in June 2018.

Commenting on the SIMPoint acquisition, Oliver Tucker, Group CEO for Wireless Logic Group said: “I’m delighted to welcome SIMPoint into the Wireless Logic family. This acquisition significantly strengthens our connectivity solutions offering and adds scale and reach to our European operations. The growth that Rob Lammers and his team have delivered over the last six years is hugely impressive and we are excited to welcome their expertise, energy and drive into the group.”

For SIMPoint, Rob Lammers, CEO and founder said: “Since SIMPoint was founded in 2012, we have delivered rapid growth by delivering industry leading IoT connectivity services across a range of applications and verticals. The incredible team at SIMPoint has achieved this success through their expertise and absolute determination to deliver for our customers.

“We are now very much looking forward to becoming part of a global player in the world of IoT connectivity. The synergies between the businesses will significantly strengthen the customer offer and deliver a strong and sustainable European footprint for Wireless Logic Group.”

• EQT Infrastructure acquires Melita from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital
• Melita owns state of the art converged fixed and mobile telecom infrastructure and is the market leading operator on Malta
• EQT Infrastructure to support growth of Melita by investing in its network and is committed to continue to provide high quality services to current and future customer

EQT Infrastructure IV (“EQT” or “EQT Infrastructure”), has signed an agreement to acquire Melita Limited (“Melita” or the “Company”) from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital

Founded in 1991, Melita is a fully converged and diversified telecommunication infrastructure owner as well as a leading services provider in Malta. Melita services consumers, business and government customers on Malta with mainly four types of products: nationwide Gigabit broadband services for households and small businesses, mobile and fixed telephony as well as TV services. Melita also offers colocation services and operates a purpose-built data centre. Melita will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Harald Rösch, a longstanding Industrial Advisor to EQT.

EQT Infrastructure intends to support Melita’s growth by further upgrading its fixed and mobile networks and opening an additional data centre location on Malta. It will also support Melita’s internationalization strategy including its expansion in Italy as well as its innovative IoT connectivity proposition.

Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure IV, comments: “EQT has been built on a passion for developing companies. We invest in good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also sustainable ones. This is exactly the formula we aim to apply to Melita, which is already an innovator in the Maltese market and beyond in terms of infrastructure, products and customer service. As a result, we are confident that the coming months and years will be exciting and rewarding both for Melita’s employees and for its customers.”

Harald Rösch, CEO of Melita, said: “This transaction is another proof of our success over the last years, built on the hard work from all employees and support from our owners. Thanks to our customers’ continued loyalty and increased trust we have positioned Melita as a telecom market leader in Malta in terms of innovation, technology and customer satisfaction. With the backing of EQT Infrastructure and their extensive experience in our industry, we will continue the journey by developing our networks and providing outstanding customer experience in the years to come. Melita is ideally positioned to grow in the Maltese telecom market and beyond.”

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The proposed transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Clifford Chance and Ganado Advocates acted as legal advisors to EQT Infrastructure.

Contacts
Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure, +41 44 266 68 08
EQT Press office, +46 8 506 55 334
Malta: Conway Wigg, BPC Communications, +356 2124 321, info@bpc.com.mt

About EQT
EQT is a leading investment firm with more than EUR 61 billion in raised capital across 29 funds and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Melita
Founded in 1991, Melita is the market leading operator and owner of future-proof and converged fixed and mobile telecom infrastructure on Malta, offering mobile, fixed telephony, broadband and TV services to consumers, businesses and government clients. Melita also offers colocation services and operates a purpose-built data center.

More info: www.melita.com 

About Apax
Apax Partners is a leading European private equity firm based in Paris. With more than 45 years of experience, Apax Partners provides long-term equity funding to build and strengthen world-class companies. Funds managed and advised by Apax Partners exceed €3.3 billion. These funds invest in fast-growing middle-market companies across four sectors of specialisation: TMT, Consumer, Healthcare and Services.Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) and London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com) have a shared history but are separate, independent firms

More info: www.apax.fr

About Fortino Capital Partners
Fortino Capital Partners is an investment company that was founded in 2013 and is led by Duco Sickinghe, Renaat Berckmoes and Matthias Vandepitte. Fortino Capital invests in remarkable companies of today and tomorrow and actively helps companies to capture opportunities. They accelerate businesses and turn ambition into growth. The company manages a venture capital fund of EUR 80 million and a digital growth fund of EUR 200 million, which focuses on software and digital transformation. Fortino Capital’s investment portfolio includes Teamleader, Bloomon, Aproplan and MobileXpense, among others.

More info: www.fortino.be

May 2019. EQT Infrastructure IV (“EQT” or “EQT Infrastructure”), has signed an agreement to acquire Melita Limited (“Melita” or the “Company”) from Apax Partners and Fortino Capital. 

Founded in 1991, Melita is a fully converged and diversified telecommunication infrastructure owner as well as a leading services provider in Malta. Melita services consumers, business and government customers on Malta with mainly four types of products: nationwide Gigabit broadband services for households and small businesses, mobile and fixed telephony as well as TV services. Melita also offers colocation services and operates a purpose-built data centre. Melita will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Harald Rösch, a longstanding Industrial Advisor to EQT.

EQT Infrastructure intends to support Melita’s growth by further upgrading its fixed and mobile networks and opening an additional data centre location on Malta. It will also support Melita’s internationalization strategy including its expansion in Italy as well as its innovative IoT connectivity proposition.

Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure IV, comments: “EQT has been built on a passion for developing companies. We invest in good companies across the globe with the aim of turning them not only into great companies but also sustainable ones. This is exactly the formula we aim to apply to Melita, which is already an innovator in the Maltese market and beyond in terms of infrastructure, products and customer service. As a result, we are confident that the coming months and years will be exciting and rewarding both for Melita’s employees and for its customers.”

Harald Rösch, CEO of Melita, said: “ This transaction is another proof of our success over the last years, built on the hard work from all employees and support from our owners. Thanks to our customers’ continued loyalty and increased trust we have positioned Melita as a telecom market leader in Malta in terms of innovation, technology and customer satisfaction.  With the backing of EQT Infrastructure and their extensive experience in our industry, we will continue the journey by developing our networks and providing outstanding customer experience in the years to come. Melita is ideally positioned to grow in the Maltese telecom market and beyond.”

Thomas de Villeneuve, partner at Apax Partners, said: “We are very proud of the journey achieved by Melita over those last 3 years. Under the leadership of Harald, Melita has heavily invested in its network, its digitial transformation to become a world class operator. We congratulate Harald and the whole Melita team for the amazing work they have achieved that also benefits to the whole Maltese community”.

Duco Sickinghe, Managing Partner at Fortino Capital Partners, comments: “We have enjoyed working with Apax Partners and Melita’s dedicated management team to build a leading telecom service provider in Malta. A company that every day again tries to serve its customers in the best possible way by using the latest available technologies.”

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The proposed transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Read the press release by Melita here: https://www.melita.com/eqt-acquires-melita/

MobileXpense, the Brussels-based company that provides worldwide mobile solutions for travel expense management, is making its first strategic acquisition in taking over eBuilder Travel, the travel and expense management market leader in Sweden. This further strengthens MobileXpense’s position as a key international software supplier. In 2017, Fortino Capital Partners invested 20 million euros in the company’s commercial growth and the development of new mobile services.

Pieter Geeraerts, CEO, clarifies MobileXpense’s ambition: “MobileXpense has shown substantial and consistent growth in recent years. This acquisition allows us to further heighten our position in the international market where we have become a leading European player able to challenge the world’s largest software suppliers. We want to maintain this pioneering position and develop solutions that are able to follow the most complex processes of large multinational corporate and governmental organizations.”

MobileXpense was founded in 2000 as one of the first European Software-as-a-Service (Saas) companies. It specializes in software applications for travel and expense management and offers complete automation of the entire process from planning and booking, to reimbursement and accounting. MobileXpense has become a front-row service provider for multinationals in Europe, the UK, the US, Latin America and China.

This success is due to the solution’s user-friendliness, flexible integration with existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and payroll solutions, and particularly its compliance with local tax regulations and procedures in more than 70 countries. MobileXpense currently has 1.2 million users worldwide, spread over 100+ countries and almost 300 corporate customers including blue-chip companies such as Canon, UCB, DB Schenker or Panalpina but also the Belgian National Bank and the Dutch government.

In 2018, Pieter Geeraerts joined MobileXpense as its new CEO, bringing along his strong track record in growing software companies. Today, MobileXpense reaches another important milestone with the acquisition of eBuilder Travel, a strong player in travel and expense management in the Nordics. With this acquisition, MobileXpense obtains a solid set of large customers in Sweden and Finland backed by a strong team of local experts and aims to further expand its activities in the Nordics and strengthen its international offering.

One of the largest single foreign direct investments in South Eastern Europe

London and Amsterdam, 04 March 2019 – BC Partners, a leading international investment firm, today announced the completion of the acquisition of majority ownership of United Group B.V. (“United Group”) from KKR, following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. KKR and United Group’s management team will retain a substantial minority stake.

Founded in Serbia, and headquartered in Amsterdam, United Group is the leading independent media and communication services provider across South East Europe. Through significant investments in digital infrastructure, content and proprietary technology, it provides market-leading services to its customers across the region. Over the past 18 years the Group has expanded its presence through both organic growth and acquisitions, now employing over 4,400 staff and providing services to over 1.8 million homes.

Nikos Stathopoulos, Partner at BC Partners said: “We are delighted to have completed this transaction with United Group’s management team and KKR, and look forward to supporting the company’s next phase of growth. United Group is a high-quality asset, with defensive growth characteristics, leading infrastructure, differentiated content and a growing base of loyal customers. Its attractive and integrated business model and regional leadership position provide an excellent platform for further organic growth and strategic acquisitions across Europe.”

Since its investment in 2014, KKR has supported United Group’s efforts to build the company into the leading provider of communications and media services in South Eastern Europe. United Group’s fibre and cable networks have the largest presence in the region, covering 1.8 million homes which benefit from broadband speeds over 2.4x higher than local peers and high quality local and international content.

Jean-Pierre Saad, Managing Director at KKR said: “We are proud of the many achievements of United Group over the last five years. It is a great example of a truly convergent operator across communications and media with market leading product innovation and services. We will remain closely committed to the further development of United Group and are looking forward to working with BC Partners and the management team to further strengthen the company’s growth.”

Morgan Stanley and LionTree acted as advisers to BC Partners while Credit Suisse advised United Group.

Media contact:
BC Partners – Prosek Partners
Pro-BCPartners@prosek.com
+44 (0)20 8323 0475

KKR
Alastair Elwen
Finsbury
alastair.elwen@finsbury.com
+44 (0)20 7251 3801

About BC Partners

BC Partners is a leading international investment firm with over €20 billion of assets under management in private equity and private credit. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buy-out market for three decades. Today, BC Partners executives operate across markets as an integrated team through the firm’s offices in North America and Europe.
Since inception, BC Partners has completed 105 private equity investments in companies with a total enterprise value of €130 billion and is currently investing its tenth private equity fund. For more information, please visit www.bcpartners.com.

About KKR 

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About United Group

Founded in 2000, United Group is the leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in South East Europe, providing customers with a full range of telecommunications services. It has the broadest network coverage in the region and offers customers an unrivalled selection of content, from local offerings to the best selection from across the globe. United Group operates in six countries (through brands such as SBB, Telemach, and United Media, and channels such as SportKlub, Nova TV and N1TV) plus a global OTT service, reaching 3.74 million subscribers in 1.8 million homes, employing 4,400 people.

United Group’s international investors include KKR and now BC Partners as the majority investor.

www.united.group/about/

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 18, 2018– Altice Europe and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today jointly announce the creation of Hivory, the largest independent telecoms tower company in Franceand third largest European tower company. The creation of Hivory follows the successful completion of the transaction announced in June, of KKR’s acquisition of a 49.99% stake in a portfolio of more than 10,000 of Altice’s French towers.

Hivory is a high-quality telecoms infrastructure provider with a nationwide presence, benefiting from more than 10,000 strategically located sites with a diversified portfolio of ground-based towers and rooftops. The company is focused on serving the growing infrastructure needs for mobile operators to provide connectivity to all parts of the French population, meeting continued strong demand for data consumption and increased coverage.

Through Hivory, Altice and KKR will proactively seek to partner with all mobile operators to develop their coverage and densification objectives in France, through the build-to-suit of new towers and facilitating colocation needs in the French mobile market.

The company will seek to contribute to the development of French technology infrastructure and innovation, supporting telecom players on the eve of the ‘New Deal’ for French mobile and 5G roll out.

Alain Weill, CEO of Altice Europe, and Vincent Policard, Member at KKR in the European Infrastructure team, jointly said: “Altice and KKR are excited about the prospects for Hivory in improving mobile connectivity in France and building the telecommunications infrastructure critical for modern society. Hivory will benefit from strong market tailwinds, as well as the sector expertise and operational resources which Altice and KKR will provide through our partnership.”

-ends-

About Altice Europe

Altice Europe (ATC & ATCB), listed on Euronext Amsterdam, is a convergent leader in telecoms, content, media, entertainment and advertising. Altice delivers innovative, customer-centric products and solutions that connect and unlock the limitless potential of its over 30 million customers over fiber networks and mobile broadband. Altice is also a provider of enterprise digital solutions to millions of business customers. The company innovates with technology, research and development and enables people to live out their passions by providing original content, high-quality and compelling TV shows, and international, national and local news channels. Altice delivers live broadcast premium sports events and enables its customers to enjoy the most well-known media and entertainment.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business.

References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181218005696/en/

Source: KKR

Media Contacts
For Altice:
Arthur Dreyfuss
Head of Communications, Altice Europe
Phone: +41 79 946 4931
Email: arthur.dreyfuss@altice.net

For KKR:
Alastair Elwen Finsbury
Phone: +44(0)20 7251 3801
Email: alastair.elwen@finsbury.com

Olivier Blain
Adding Value Conseils
Email: ob@addingvalueconseils.com
Phone: +33 6 72 28 29 20