Category Archives: News

Verdane portfolio company Bellman Group AB acquires Samgräv Holding AB

Verdane Capital

Bellman Group AB (publ) (the ‘’Company’’ or ‘’Bellman Group’’) has entered into an agreement regarding acquisition of the machine contracting company Samgräv Holding AB (‘’Samgräv’’).

On 13 December 2018, Bellman Group entered into an agreement with the owner of Samgräv regarding acquisition of all shares in the company and indirectly its subsidiaries. The initial purchase price for the acquisition amounts to SEK 144.0 million and will consist of a cash payment in the amount of SEK 100.0 million and newly issued shares in Bellman Group valued at SEK 44.0 million, after the new issue resulting in an ownership for Samgräv’s owner in Bellman Group of approximately 6.8 %. In addition, an additional purchase price may be payable, depending on the development of Samgräv’s EBITDA during the period and each of the years 2019 through 2022. Payment of any additional purchase price (if any) for each respective year is expected to be made during the second or third quarter of the following year. The total aggregated additional purchase price may amount to a maximum of SEK 96.5 million.

Samgräv is a company focused on contracting and leasing of construction machinery, trucks, crane trucks, tractors, rollers, machine operators and constructors. Samgräv is a strong player in the market of western Sweden by having its own inert landfills, recycling facilities and rock quarries, as well as transport and machinery contracting. The combination of own facilities as well as transport and machinery contracting entails an important competitive advantage in order to create cost effective and environmentally friendly transports for customers. For the financial year 2017/18, Samgräv’s sales amounted to SEK 221 million and the adjusted EBITDA for the same period amounted to SEK 31 million. The group’s sales for the financial year 2017, calculated pro forma including Samgräv’s sales for the financial year 2017/18, amounted to SEK 1,606 million and EBITDA for the same period, calculated pro forma including Samgräv, amounted to SEK 188 million.1

Through the acquisition, Bellman Group strengthens its position within inert landfills and broadens its operations to western Sweden. This will significantly positively affect the possibility for other companies within Bellman Group to increase (numerically and in size) their businesses in the Gothenburg area.

“It is very fun and exciting that Samgräv now becomes a part of Bellman Group. Through the acquisition of Samgräv, Bellman Group obtains a strong position also in western Sweden. This acquisition is very much in line with Bellman Group’s business and strategic plan; to develop its operations in Gothenburg as well as within inert landfills and recycling facilities. We see good opportunities to continue to create value in the new group, as all subsidiaries report a strong profit development”, says Håkan Lind, CEO of Bellman Group.

The intention is that Samgräv will continue to operate as a separate business following the acquisition.

“Samgräv has had a short-term plan to take a strong position in Västra Götaland and a long-term plan to expand in Stockholm and Malmö. We have had an ambition to enter into a broader context that gives us ability to act and new collaborations. During the process, we have always cared for our customers, suppliers and staff and kept them in mind in order to make Samgräv the number one choice in the contracting branch. In the Bellman Group, we have found common values and thoughts about the future. I am very pleased that this is now becoming reality and I really look forward to jointly create a strong group within the Bellman Group”, says Roger Hansson, owner of Samgräv.

Bellman Group intends to finance the acquisition primarily by issuance of new bonds under the Company’s existing bond loan. The Company will provide further information in relation to this by way of a separate press release if/when such issuance of new bonds has taken place.

The acquisition is conditional upon that Bellman Group obtains required financing and that the Swedish Competition Authority approves the transaction. Closing of the transaction is expected to take place during the first quarter of 2019.

For additional information, please contact:
Håkan Lind, CEO, Bellman Group, +46 (0) 70 669 80 28, hakan@bellmans.se

Roger Axelsson, CFO and Head of Communications, Bellman Group, +46 (0) 70 874 50 41, roger@bellmans.se

Roger Hansson, CEO, Samgräv, +46 (0) 70 677 65 53, roger@samgrav.se

About this information: 
This information is information that Bellman Group AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the Company’s CEO, at 12.00 CET on 13 December 2018.

About Bellman Group 
Bellman Group AB is comprised of Bellmans Åkeri & Entreprenad AB and Grundab Entreprenader i Stockholm AB, who are haulage contractors, as well as of Modern Sprängteknik i Norden AB with the subsidiaries Uppländska Bergkrossnings AB, Uppländska Bergborrnings AB and Sprängarbeten i Trönödal AB, who undertake blasting operations, and VSM Entreprenad AB with its subsidiaries VSM AS, Munthers Specialtransporter AB and VSM Rental AB, which are machine contracting companies. The group’s sales for the financial year 2017, calculated pro forma including VSM, amounted to SEK 1,385 million and the adjusted EBITDA for the same period, calculated pro forma including VSM, amounted to SEK 157 million. The group has approximately 360 employees and 500 subcontractors.

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L Brands announces sales agreement for La Senza

Regent

Columbus, Ohio (Dec. 13, 2018) — L Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LB) today announced that following its previously announced comprehensive review process, it has signed a definitive agreement to transfer ownership and operating control of La Senza – inclusive of the home office organization, North American stores and e-commerce and international partnerships – to an affiliate of Regent LP, a global private equity firm.  The company will sell 100 percent of its assets in La Senza in exchange for the buyer’s agreement to assume La Senza’s operating liabilities and provide L Brands potential future consideration upon the sale or other monetization of La Senza, as defined in the agreement.  The company expects to complete the transaction and transfer ownership in early January.

Operating results for La Senza are included in the company’s Other segment for financial reporting. The company estimates that La Senza’s 2018 revenues and operating loss will be approximately $250 million and $40 million (approximately $0.12 per share), respectively.

L Brands was advised on the sale by Financo.

 

ABOUT L BRANDS:

L Brands, through Victoria’s Secret, PINK, Bath & Body Works, La Senza and Henri Bendel, is an international company.  The company operates 3,115 company-owned specialty stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Greater China, and its brands are sold in more than 800 additional franchised locations worldwide.  The company’s products are also available online at www.VictoriasSecret.com, www.BathandBodyWorks.com, www.HenriBendel.com and www.LaSenza.com.

 

ABOUT REGENT:

Regent is a global private equity firm focused on innovating and transforming businesses. The firm’s mission is to create long-term value for its partners, the companies it invests in and the communities in which it works. Regent’s investments span the globe and operate in a wide array of industry verticals including technology, media, consumer products, industrial, retail and entertainment.

Selected investments include Sassoon, Sunset Magazine, Lillian Vernon and a media portfolio comprised of 18 newspapers, magazines and television platforms including Military Times, Army Times, Navy Times, Defense News, PBS TV’s Defense News Weekly, Federal Times and the HistoryNet Magazines. Regent is based in Beverly Hills, California.

For more information, please visit www.regentlp.com.

For further information, please contact:

Regent LP:
Media Relations
Graydon Sheinberg
(310) 299-4108
gs@regentlp.com

L Brands:
Investor Relations
Amie Preston
(614) 415-6704
apreston@lb.com

Media Relations
Tammy Roberts Myers
(614) 415-7072
communications@lb.com

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Silver Lake to Acquire Majority Stake in ServiceMax from GE Digital

Silverlake

Strategic partnership to accelerate growth of leading provider of Field Service Management software
GE to continue as minority investor

SAN RAMON, CALIF. & MENLO PARK, CALIF. – DECEMBER 13, 2018 – GE Digital (NYSE: GE) and Silver Lake announced today an agreement for GE Digital to sell a majority stake in ServiceMax, a leading provider of cloud-based software productivity tools for field service technicians, to Silver Lake, the global leader in technology investing. Under the agreement, GE will retain a 10% equity ownership in ServiceMax. Since GE Digital acquired the company in 2016, ServiceMax has continued to invest in its technology and delivered growth that has outpaced the market over the past two years. ServiceMax and GE Digital have also entered into a reseller agreement to ensure ongoing collaboration to serve their joint customers, including GE’s industrial business units, and plan to continue to deeply integrate their technology offerings.

In collaboration with Silver Lake, ServiceMax will enjoy increased agility to accelerate its growth initiatives, pursue new strategic partnerships and execute a dedicated Field Service Management agenda. ServiceMax offers cloud software tools that improve the productivity of complex service and equipment-centric business operations for over 400 corporate customers across dozens of industries. As a separate company, ServiceMax will have the strategic focus required to penetrate the vast $34 billion global Field Service Management software market opportunity. The majority of the approximately 39 million field technicians globally who install, maintain and repair machines do not currently have access to any Field Service Management software such as ServiceMax.

“ServiceMax has a strong foundation of customers inside and outside the GE customer base,” said Scott Berg, CEO, ServiceMax. “In Silver Lake, we have found a partner with a technology growth mindset and unique expertise in separating companies into standalone businesses. Joining the Silver Lake family will provide the investment we need in continued technology development and market expansion in areas where we have seen significant traction, such as medical devices, construction and manufacturing industries. The new company structure gives us both the flexibility to provide solutions to all industrial manufacturers and the strategic backing of GE to continue to pursue the industrial asset operator markets.”

“Field Service Management is a core element in the digital transformation of industrial operations, and ServiceMax’s innovative platform provides field technicians with next-generation, business-critical software and technology,” said Kenneth Hao, Managing Partner and Managing Director of Silver Lake. “We look forward to working with ServiceMax and GE to bring ServiceMax’s technology to a broader customer base, increase investments in product development and help the company achieve its long-term potential.”

As part of GE Digital, ServiceMax accelerated market reach into new regions, expanded its Field Service Management capabilities and introduced its offerings to new industries. With this new relationship, GE Digital and ServiceMax will continue to work together to provide solutions that help companies transform how they operate and manage their industrial assets across the entire asset lifecycle. The two
companies will continue to advance the integration between GE Digital’s Predix Asset Performance Management suite and ServiceMax’s field service management solution – arming customers with a complete solution for proactive and predictive maintenance.

For almost 20 years Silver Lake has invested behind enterprise technology leaders in partnership with management. ServiceMax joins current and prior Silver Lake portfolio companies such as Broadcom (then Avago Technologies), Cast & Crew, the Dell Technologies family of businesses (including Pivotal, SecureWorks and VMware), GoDaddy, NXP, Red Ventures, Skype, SolarWinds and Unity.
The transaction is expected to close in early 2019. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor to Silver Lake.

About GE Digital
GE Digital is reimagining how industrials build, operate and service their assets, unlocking machine data to turn valuable insights into powerful business outcomes. GE Digital’s Predix portfolio – including the leading Asset Performance Management and Field Service Management applications, as well as Predix Private Cloud – helps its customers manage the entire asset lifecycle. Underpinned by Predix, the leading application development platform for the Industrial Internet, GE Digital enables industrial businesses to operate faster, smarter and more efficiently, wherever their operations require. For more information, visit www.ge.com/digital.

About Silver Lake
Silver Lake is the global leader in technology investing, with about $45.5 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital and a team of approximately 100 investment and value creation professionals located in Silicon Valley, New York, London and Hong Kong. Silver Lake’s portfolio of investments collectively generates more than $225 billion of revenue annually and employs more than 390,000 people globally. The Silver Lake portfolio includes leading technology and technology-enabled businesses such as Alibaba Group, Ancestry, Broadcom Limited, Cast & Crew, Ctrip, Dell Technologies, Endeavor, Fanatics, Global Blue, GoDaddy, Motorola Solutions, Red Ventures, Sabre, SoFi, SolarWinds, Symantec, Unity, Weld North Education and WP Engine. For more information about Silver Lake and its entire portfolio, please visit www.silverlake.com.

Media Contacts
For GE Digital:
Amy Sarosiek
925-968-7871
amy.sarosiek@ge.com
For Silver Lake:
Patricia Graue
212-333-3810
silverlake@brunswickgroup.com

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KRAMP and JOHN DEERE expand strategic partnership in Europe

NPM Capital

Following a successful launch in Germany, Kramp and John Deere will expand their strategic partnership into France, Poland, Portugal and Spain during the course of 2019. As a result John Deere dealers in these countries will, in addition to the John Deere accessories, be able to order Vapormatic parts and the extensive Kramp product portfolio more easily. They will also be able to keep these products in stock and sell them via one online channel.

Kramp (agricultural machinery parts distributor) and John Deere (tractor and agricultural machinery manufacturer) are leading companies in their sectors. The shared objective is to enter into the collaboration with their dealers in order to guarantee their success by, among other things, making the parts ordering process as simple as possible. This led to good results in Germany for both farmers and dealers. After the expansion into four countries in 2019, other European countries will follow in the years to come.

Kramp, an NPM Capital portfolio company, is a total supplier of parts, technical services and business solutions and a strategic partner for companies in the agricultural, garden & park, earthmoving and OEM sectors. Kramp offers dealers a range of more than 700,000 products. Kramp has 21 locations in 19 countries and more than 2,600 employees.

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CapMan Nordic Property Income Fund (non-UCITS) acquires a mixed-use industrial property in Copenhagen

CapMan Nordic Property Income Fund (non-UCITS), has acquired Stamholmen 70, a light production and office property, in a sale and lease back transaction.

The approx. 14,000 sqm property is situated in Avedøre Holme, a mixed industrial and commuter suburb to Copenhagen. The property is fully let with a long lease agreement to the seller Intermail A/S, a Danish publicly listed communications company. The property is located close to the E20 highway, which provides easy access to Kastrup Airport and Copenhagen city centre.

“The Danish market provides many opportunities in line with CapMan Nordic Property Income fund’s cash flow focused investment strategy. We are very pleased with this acquisition and the continued co-operation with Intermail. The flexible layout of the property combined with its logistics capabilities are attractive for potential future tenants. The excellent location and good income outlook make it a perfect fit for the CapMan Nordic Property Income fund,” says Sampsa Apajalahti, Investment Director and Fund Director of CapMan Nordic Property Income Fund.

CapMan Nordic Property Income Fund (non-UCITS) is an open-ended special investment fund which accepts new subscriptions on a quarterly basis. The Fund focuses on stable income generating properties in the largest and most liquid Nordic cities with solid long-term growth fundamentals. CMNPI fund targets mainly offices and necessity-driven retail assets. In addition, the fund will also invest in other real estate sectors providing stable and predictable income. The acquisition of Stamholmen 70 is the fund’s fifth transaction and its second in Denmark.

CapMan Real Estate has a team consisting of over 30 real estate professionals in Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen. CapMan Real Estate was established in 2005 and it currently has over EUR 1.7 billion of assets under management deploying four different investment strategies.

For further information, please contact:
Sampsa Apajalahti, Investment Director, Fund Director, CapMan Real Estate, tel. +358 40 575 2363
Peter Gill, Investment Director, CapMan Real Estate, tel. +45 20 43 55 63

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value-creation in its target companies and assets. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the last 30 years. CapMan employs today approximately 120 private equity professionals and has approximately €2.8 billion in assets under management. We mainly manage the assets of our customers, the investors, but also make investments from our own balance sheet. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. Our current investment strategies cover Buyout, Growth, Real Estate, Infra, Credit and Russia. We also have a growing service business that currently includes procurement services (CaPS), fundraising advisory (Scala Fund Advisory), and fund management services. www.capman.com

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Gaw Capital Partners and Consortium Partners Win Bid to Acquire 12 Shopping Centers in Hong Kong

Gaw Capital

December 12, 2018, Hong Kong – Gaw Capital Partners today announced that the firm, through a fund under its management, and consortium partners, including Goldman Sachs, have won a bid to acquire a retail portfolio comprising 12 shopping centers in Hong Kong from Link Asset Management Limited at HK$ 12.01 billion and an average price of around HK$7,839 per sq. ft. excluding parking.

The portfolio is comprised of a number of strategically-located properties across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories that sit in the heart of densely-populated communities. The GFA of the portfolio totals 1.1 million sq. ft. of prime retail space and comes with over 4,700 parking spaces that are connected to highly-convenient transport links. Their excellent accessibility and holistic shopping environments have made them attractive destinations for retailers and hubs of community life for residents.

The shopping centers included in the portfolio are: Retail and Car Park within Ap Lei Chau Estate, Chun Shek Shopping Centre, Fortune Shopping Centre, King Lam Shopping Centre, Lei Tung Commercial Centre, Ming Tak Shopping Centre, Shan King Commercial Centre, Siu Hei Commercial Centre, Retail and Car Park within Tai Ping Estate, Wah Ming Shopping Centre, Wah Sum Shopping Centre, Wang Tau Hom (Wang Fai Centre).

Goodwin Gaw, Chairman and Managing Principal of Gaw Capital Partners, said, “We and our partners are confident about Hong Kong’s future, and believe these malls will continue to serve important functions in the community. Followed by the bid we won together with our consortium partners to acquire 17 shopping malls in 2017, we will further leverage our experience to evolve these malls into refreshed and renewed centers of local life and collaborate with the local NGOs and existing tenants to build a better neighborhood for themselves.”

Kenneth Gaw, President and Managing Principal of Gaw Capital Partners, commented, “We worked closely with the community over the past 12 months and implemented a series of initiatives to better make use of these malls for the community. We look forward to applying our expertise in repositioning commercial property to add significant strategic value to this additional portfolio.”

Gaw Capital has over 13 years of experience investing in and/or turning around commercial properties in Greater China, including Hong Kong. The firm successfully transformed and repositioned properties such as 133 Wai Yip Street in Hong Kong, a former 12-storey industrial building turned creative office space; Sky Bridge HQ, a mixed-use project located in the heart of Linkong Economic Park in Shanghai; Pacific Century Place in Beijing, a 170,000 sqm (1.8 million sq. ft.) renovated mixed-use commercial property with two office towers and two serviced apartment blocks on a retail podium; Cross Tower in Shanghai, a 22-storey office with a two-storey retail podium; Ciro’s Plaza in Shanghai, a mixed-use property with a 39-storey office building and a 28,000 sqm (302,000 sq. ft.) retail mall; Plaza 353 in Shanghai, a 40,000 sqm (430,000 sq. ft.) renovated mall with historical heritage status; Popark Plaza in Guangzhou, a 92,400 sqm (994,000 sq. ft.) retail mall connected to the Guangzhou East Railway Station, with high-speed trains to Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and access to two major subway lines; and Metropolitan Plaza in Guangzhou, a 88,800 sqm (956,000 sq. ft.) mall located above two subway lines.

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East Capital Holding acquires Monyx Asset Management

East Capital

East Capital Holding acquires Swedish fund management company Monyx, consisting of Monyx Asset Management and Nordic Fund Services S.A. from its owner NewCap Holding A/S. Monyx manages more than 3bn EUR in Nordic and global equity and fixed income funds. Monyx will remain as a separate entity within the group.

Once the transaction is completed Monyx will become a fully-owned subsidiary of East Capital Group. Monyx will continue to operate as a separate entity focusing on Nordic and Global strategies and East Capital Asset Management will retain its focus on emerging and frontier markets.

 

East Capital and NewCap cite a strong industrial logic as the driving force behind the transaction. There are significant economies of scale to be achieved in support functions and in the procurement of administrative and other external services linked to portfolio management. Reducing administration costs will provide vital additional resources to East Capital’s continued sustainability efforts and enable further investments in management teams and other core capabilities across both businesses. East Capital and Monyx also have offices and operations in Sweden and Luxembourg, further supporting seamless coordination between the two entities.

 

“We are pleased to be the new owner of Monyx, adding a new business line to the East Capital Group. We see a great opportunity in sharing our institutional investment management experience, as well as our strong sustainability and governance expertise. We plan to develop and support Monyx by providing additional resources to the investment team.”says Albin Rosengren, Partner at East Capital.

Ole Rosholm, CEO NewCap: “East Capital is one of the strongest independent investment managers in Northern Europe, with some of the world’s largest institutions among its clients and a wide European distribution network. East Capital has also been in the market for over 20 years, demonstrating both continuity and stability. We look forward to the mutual benefits our partnership will bring.”

 

This acquisition entails a change of ownership that requires approval by Swedish Financial Supervision Authority before the deal completes. Until then, East Capital refrains from providing any further details.

 

About East Capital

East Capital is an independent asset manager with various investment specializations all characterised by active management and a strong focus on responsible ownership. The main operations are East Capital Asset Management, an investment company which specialises in emerging and frontier markets, and East Capital Real Estate, which manages cash-flow generating commercial properties. Further, the securities company East Capital Direct offers a platform for transactions and investment custody. East Capital also owns a substantial part of the listed real estate company Eastnine (STO:EAST), which is an associated company in the group. East Capital was founded in Sweden in 1997 and has offices in Dubai, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Moscow, Oslo, Stockholm and Tallinn. The company manages EUR 2.9bn for an international investor base including leading institutions.

Contact information:

Ilze Johnston, Marketing Communications Manager, East Capital

+46 8 505 88 550 mediaenquiries@eastcapital.com  

 

Andrew Fleming/ Georgie Rudkin, MHP Communications, Europe

+44 203 128 8100  eastcapital@mhpc.com  

 

Ruby Lo / Judith Bence, MHP, Asia

+852 6255 8133 / +61 415 903 849 eastcapital@mhpc.com

 

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TrophoSYS, a biotech company based in Jena, Germany, successfully closed its seed financing round, securing the company´s next stage of development

BM-T

TrophoSYS GmbH is developing an innovative and sustainable new method for the separation of gametes. bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh acted as the lead investor and was joined in the investment round by Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland and a private investor.

The company´s innovative new method allows for gender-specific selection of productive animals, which could dramatically improve productivity and enhance food security.  Importantly, the innovation is based solely on the physiological differences of the cell surfaces and allows for the gamete separation without any manipulation of genetic material.

The technology could be effective for all mammalian animals, creating a significant opportunity for improvement to the status quo and implying a large market potential.  Especially noteworthy is the potential in the pork industry, which is urgently searching for gentle and effective alternatives to the anesthesia-free castration method. TrophoSYS´ solution potentially offers an attractive animal-and-farmer-friendly alternative.

The founder and head of development of TrophoSYS, Dr. Stephan König described the business model as follows: “Modern animal rearing should not focus solely on economic aspects rather it must also consider natural and environmental elements. Our approach unifies economic and ecological aspects in a way that benefits animals, producers, and consumers of animal products.”

“After having internally financed the preliminary development stages, we are delighted to have gained bm|t as a highly-competent and financially strong lead investor for our first external financing round. We are convinced that, together with bm|t and the co-investors, we will successfully reach our goals and thus create an important breakthrough for a sustainable future,” said Martin Reichenbach, CEO and founder of TrophoSYS.

 

About TrophoSYS GmbH

The Jena company, TrophoSYS, specializes in the development of biotechnologies that improve or potentially displace existing methods.  In this scope, the company has developed many solutions focused on the productive animal field, through which it aims to create important improvements in the quality and security of food and human health.

About bm|t

Erfurt-based, bm-t beteiligungsmanagement Thüringen (bm|t) – a subsidiary of the Thuringia Development Bank, is the first address for investments in Thuringia, Germany.  bm-t currently manages eight investment funds with a total volume of 320M EUR.  bm-t invests in innovative companies with strong growth potential across all sectors and all phases of the corporate lifecycle.

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Bolster Investment Partners sells AIO II / Medsen and Ceban

Bolster

On 12 December, Bolster reached an agreement about the sale of AIO II (pharmacy chain Medsen and compounding pharmacy Ceban) to Bencis on behalf of Van Lanschot Kempen. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant (competion) authorities and is expected to be completed early 2019.

In recent years both Medsen and Ceban showed a strong performance. In 2017, pharmacy chain Zorgapotheek Nederland and a provider of drug dispensing machines, PharmaRobots, have been acquired by Medsen in close cooperation with Bolster. Ceban has significantly expanded its market share in recent years. Bolster would like to thank the management and employees of Medsen and Ceban for the pleasant cooperation and wishes them and the new shareholders all the best for the future.

For more information, please refer to the press release of Van Lanschot Kempen.

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NPM CAPITAL sells educational service provider IDDINK GROUP to SANOMA LEARNING

NPM Capital

On 11 December 2018, Sanoma Learning announced its intention to acquire the educational service provider Iddink Group (‘Iddink’) from its current owner, NPM Capital. The acquisition comprises all parts of the group in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. After the acquisition, Malmberg and Iddink Group will collaboratively develop integrated digital solutions to improve and personalise secondary and vocational education. The intended acquisition is subject to approval from the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) and the works council of Iddink Group.

Iddink Group is best known as a distributor of learning tools and as the developer of the widely used student information systems Magister and Eduarte. In recent years, Iddink Group has built a strong position as a supplier of digital learning platforms. Finnish company Sanoma Learning is the owner of leading educational publishers in several different countries, including Malmberg in the Netherlands and VAN IN in Belgium.

NPM Capital acquired Iddink Group in 2014. Bart Coopmans, Managing Director of NPM Capital, said in a brief explanation about the intended sale: ‘From 2014 onwards we have supported Iddink in its ambition to grow and its digital transition, with a shared mission to help improve the education landscape. We are convinced that the company will be able to further accelerate its successful digital strategy under ownership of a strong strategic shareholder such as Sanoma Learning.’

 

Collaboration for the sake of better education

The acquisition of Iddink Group will enable Sanoma Learning to create the most user-friendly and inspirational digital learning solutions in collaboration with their intended users in the education sector, thereby allowing schools to make a breakthrough in personalised learning methods. Of course Iddink Group will continue its close collaboration with all publishers and its solutions and platforms will remain available across the market. The companies will operate as separate operational companies, whose non-exclusive collaboration remains open to all other providers of content and platforms.

 

History, experience and vision

Malmberg (established in 1885) and Iddink (established in 1922) share a long history and a common vision on the future of education. John Martin, CEO of Sanoma Learning, believes the two will complement each other well: ‘We offer tailored solutions for students and aim to unburden schools. We complement each other in the development of educational methods, platforms and services. We share a common goal: to offer the best personalised and affordable educational solutions.’

Malmberg and Iddink Group have been working together for many years, with developments in digital technology leading to an increasing amount of overlap in their services. ‘I am enthusiastic about the fact that we will now be able to really offer educational solutions that meet the needs of modern education,’ said Wijnand Spring in ’t Veld, CEO of Iddink Group. ‘Malmberg, VAN IN and Iddink Group will continue their independent operations in the Dutch and Flemish market, each with their own specific portfolio of products and services. By lowering the thresholds between publisher and service provider we can optimally address the wishes of teachers, school managers, students and their parents.’

 

About Sanoma Learning

Sanoma Learning is one of Europe’s leading learning companies. It supports over a million teachers in their efforts to enable every student to fully develop his or her talents. With over 1,400 employees in companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Finland and Sweden, net sales totalled over €300 million in 2017. Sanoma Learning is a subsidiary of Sanoma Corporation, the Finnish learning and media company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. In the Netherlands, Sanoma’s best-known subsidiary is Sanoma Media Netherlands, publisher of titles such as NU.nl, Donald Duck and Libelle.

 

About Iddink Group

Iddink Group operates in educational services in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Through its three brands Iddink, Eduarte and Magister it offers digital learning environments, apps, and advanced learning tools and solutions that enable over two million users every day to develop their talents in a personalised manner. Also part of the Iddink Group is The Implementation Group (TIG), the leading business intelligence specialist for the education sector. The company employs over 300 people, more than half of the employees working in educational technology.

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