Press Room - Archive
Kwintet acquires the Mercatura Group
August 2007
Kwintet AB, Europe’s leading provider of professional clothing, has today
acquired the Mercatura Group, a leader in service wear, from Primondo Specialty
Group GmbH (a mail order division of Arcandor AG – former KarstadtQuelle AG).
The acquisition strengthens Kwintet’s position as the pan-European service
wear supplier and further consolidates the Group’s position as the undisputed
no. 1.
The acquisition brings together two highly complementary businesses. Kwintet is
unrivalled in work wear for craftsmen and industry workers; whereas the Mercatura
Group, with revenues exceeding €130m and 1,050 employees, is particularly strong
in the attractive service wear sector; clothing for professionals in healthcare,
retail and hotels, restaurants and other service professions.
“Kwintet is already Europe’s no. 1 provider of work wear, and today we have also
achieved this position in service wear. This significantly broadens our offering
for our customers and consolidates our position in the three largest European markets.
This enables us to offer our customers both a strong local service as well as a
unique pan-European solution,” says Anders Groenlund, CEO of Kwintet.
Mercatura operates mainly in the key markets of Germany, France and the UK and consists
of five companies; Bragard, clinic+job-dress, DK Profashion, Koppe and Simon Jersey.
The group has a well recognized product portfolio and a number of established brands.
These include local German names together with well-known international brands like
Bragard, the global leader in clothing for restaurants and luxury hotels and Simon
Jersey, a renowned pioneer in service clothing.
The strengths of the Mercatura companies are appreciated by its customers, including
distinguished companies such as leading international hotels, retail chains, car
rental companies and many more. Kwintet is highly committed to maintain and further
develop Mercatura’s current businesses across the regions and end-users, and is
dedicated to keep-up and to further improve the current product and service offerings
towards the company’s customers.
“The companies in the Mercatura Group all have very strong brands and solid market
positions. As part of the Kwintet Group they will gain access to an improved supply
chain network and new sales channels. I have every reason to believe that we have
found an excellent new home for the companies, which will enable them to grow and
realize their full potential in the coming years,” says Sascha Bopp, Primondo Specialty
Group CEO.
The acquisition of the Mercatura Group is Kwintet’s largest to date, and follows
a number of recent European acquisitions including the leading Dutch service wear
supplier, Labels, and the promotional wear supplier Cotton Group in Belgium. Kwintet
and Primondo have agreed not to disclose the terms of the transaction. The transaction
is subject to approval by the responsible European cartel authorities.
Kwintet is owned by Industri Kapital and is today the leading provider of professional
clothing for the service and manufacturing industry in Europe. The company designs,
produces and distributes professional clothing under a number of leading brands
such as Wenaas, Kansas, Fristads, KLM Kleding, Adolphe Lafont, Hejco, B&C, and
A-code Active Wear.
Contacts:
Kwintet is the leading European supplier of professional wear.
Kwintet’s activities consist of product development, sourcing, production, sales
and distribution of professional wear. The product range comprises work wear and
corporate wear which are marketed under well-known brands, such as Fristads, Kansas,
Wenaas, KLM Kleding, Adolphe Lafont, Hejco, B&C, and A-code Active Wear. Kwintet
is the absolute market leader in the Nordic region and has a significant market
position in Germany, the Benelux countries, France and the United Kingdom. Furthermore,
Kwintet has a good market position in the rest of Western Europe as well as a secure
foothold in the global off-shore market. The Group generates a turnover exceeding
EUR 575 million, and is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. For further details visit:
www.kwintet.com.
Primondo is a division of Arcandor AG based in Essen – has a leading
position in the European mail-order trade. In FY 2006, the group with a staff of
more than 20,000 in 20 countries yielded net sales of EUR 4.2 bn. The core business
is the universal and specialty mail-order trade. Within the framework of multichannel
distribution, e-commerce has developed into an important distribution channel next
to the stationary and catalogue-based trade and will be reinforced further. With
the acquisition of the TV station HSE24 Primondo is also going to expand the distribution
channel teleshopping. Universal mail-order trade’s core brand is Quelle. In various
European markets, Quelle has a leading position. The 11 specialty mail-order companies
(Hess Natur, Baby Walz, Bogner Homeshopping among others) fulfil their customers’
special wishes: from baby products and eco fashion to classic ladies’ and men’s
wear.
Industri Kapital is a European private equity firm with Nordic
roots, managing close to EUR 4 billion in fund commitments. Since 1989, Industri
Kapital has acquired 64 European companies. The current portfolio encompasses 21
companies with a total turnover of approximately EUR 8.0 billion. Industri Kapital
invests mainly in mid-sized companies with strong cash flow and profit improvement
potential, operating in mature industries with fundamental underlying growth. Over
the years Industri Kapital has developed significant sector experience, principally
in the manufacturing, process, building material, retail and services industries.
For further details visit: www.ikinvest.com.
For further information, please contact the press office:
Best Dressed PR
East Park Lodge
East Park Road
Blackburn
BB1 8DW
Tel: +44 (0)1254 295 588
Fax: +44 (0)1254 295 581