Oakley Capital, a leading pan-European private equity investor, is pleased to announce that Fund IV has agreed the strategic combination of portfolio company WindStar Medical (“WindStar”) with Merz Lifecare to create one of the leading providers of over-the-counter (“OTC”) health and wellbeing products in the DACH region. On completion, the Merz Group will hold a majority stake in the holding. The transaction is expected to be completed once all regulatory approvals have been obtained.
Oakley invested in WindStar in 2020 to scale the business through continued product innovation and organic growth. With Oakley’s support, WindStar has expanded the business by growing its Power Brands SOS and Zirkulin, by extending its private label customer base with new perfumery customers, and by addressing the “Well-Health” market segment, which focuses on high-quality OTC-products for feel-good, wellness, care, and protection.
Based in Frankfurt, Germany, Merz Lifecare is part of the Merz Group, a leading, privately-owned pharma and healthcare business. Merz Lifecare is a leading provider of health, wellbeing, and beauty products in the DACH region, with leading brands including tetesept, Merz Spezial and Brooklyn Soap Company.
In Merz we have found a strong strategic partner for WindStar to continue driving its growth and development into the future. We look forward to collaborating with Merz to build a health and wellbeing leader in the DACH region.
Peter Dubens
Co-Founder and Managing Partner — Oakley Capital
With this combination, Merz is breaking new ground, as this is the first time that we, as a family-owned company, have entered into a partnership with a private equity firm. In doing so, we are strengthening our Merz Lifecare business, which has outgrown the market in recent years. We have found an ideal partner in WindStar because the two companies and their complementary product portfolios are an excellent match. We look forward to further developing the potential of Merz Lifecare in the coming years in partnership with Oakley and taking the company to the next level together.
Hans-Jörg Bergler
Managing Director — Merz Group
