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Consumer
Action, which was established in 1993 in the Netherlands, is the fastest-growing non-food discounter in Europe with more than 2,300 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain and Slovakia.
Large-scale procurement, flexible assortment, optimal distribution and a cost-conscious culture ensure good quality products at the lowest price. Action offers over 6,000 low-price, good quality products in fourteen categories. In Action's stores, customers can find well-known A-brands next to Action-owned brands and brands owned by Action's suppliers. Two-thirds of the assortment changes frequently, as Action introduces more than 150 new articles every week.
The product assortment includes decoration, DIY, garden and outdoor, household goods, multimedia, sports, stationery and hobby, toys and entertainment, food and drink, laundry and cleaning, personal care, pet, fashion and linen.
Action generates revenues of over €8bn per annum. Its business model differs from that of more traditional retailers because only 35% of its total product range is fixed. Action believes that it is possible to offer a surprising assortment at the lowest price, while improving the quality and sustainability of their products. The essence of Action: "small prices, big smiles".
In 2022 Action won 3 awards in the ‘Retailer of the Year’ competition, awarded by customers, and 6 private label products won the ‘Product of the Year Award’
Opened twelve distribution centres and three hubs
"Action continues to perform strongly by expanding rapidly. The company has become a seasoned issuer in the debt markets. The strong demand from investors reflects the high level of support for Action’s strategy and management.” Robert Van Goethem, Partner and Head of Consumer
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Benelux.
Industrial Technology
AES’s mechanical seals are used in a variety of pumps and rotating equipment worldwide to prevent liquids and gases escaping into the environment. A wide range of mechanical seal types are manufactured to suit different industries and the significant investment made in modular design means that AES provides the best on-time delivery performance in the industry.
The AESSEAL® range of seals, seal support systems and bearing protectors are designed to improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs of rotating equipment. The business is focused on giving customers such exceptional service that they need never consider alternative sources of supply.
"3i has been a great partner over nearly two decades. They understand what it takes to grow a great, international business; they both support us in that mission and challenge us to be the best we can." Chris Rea, OBE Founder and Managing Director
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc.
Business & Technology Services
arrivia (formerly I.C.E.) is a global provider of technology-based B2B2C travel-based loyalty and reward solutions for organisations such as Carnival, American Express, USAA and Diamond Resorts.
The Company has developed a network business model that enables leading brands to offer loyalty programmes that provide customers with unmatched value on all travel products (e.g. cruise, hotel, resort, etc.) arrivia also partners with leading travel suppliers to generate incremental travel bookings from members of its loyalty programmes.
arrivia employs over 2,600 staff and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona with additional offices in Australia, UK, Portugal, India, Mexico, New Zealand and the Philippines.
“I am honoured to join the team at arrivia as its Chief Executive Officer and to partner with 3i, who has a proven track record in the travel industry and an impressive international network. Over the years, arrivia has built a very successful travel distribution company that has unique capabilities in the areas of membership, loyalty and revenue management. I believe the company has tremendous opportunities to capitalise on this foundation and innovate for the future.” Mike Nelson, CEO, arrivia
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.
Consumer
Audley Travel (“Audley”) is a leading provider of tailor-made experiential travel to over 100 destinations worldwide. Serving clients predominantly in the UK and US, Audley is renowned for its superior customer service and in-depth destination expertise delivered by its country specialists. This exceptional service drives customer loyalty leading to high levels of repeat customers and referrals.
Founded in 1996, Audley is the clear market leader in tailor-made travel in the UK. The business expanded into the US in 2014 with the opening of an office in Boston and grew rapidly to exceed 25% of bookings by 2019.
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc.
Consumer
Established in 1952, BoConcept is a leading Nordic design brand with dedicated distribution through dedicated BoConcept franchises around the world. BoConcept (literally translated from Danish "Living Concept") helps a wide range of customers to transform their home into a modern and extraordinary space fit to their style, through personal styling advice, great design at affordable prices and a high level of customisation. With an omni-channel offering through its ~300 stores in 65 countries across five continents, the homogenous brand concept of BoConcept is globally proven in metropoles around the world.
The company realised sales of DKK1.5bn in the financial year ending 30 April 2022
"BoConcept has a globally appealing customer proposition. I enjoy working with the management team and 3i to unlock the full potential of the company." Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae, Chairman, BoConcept
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Benelux.
Healthcare
Cirtec Medical ("Cirtec") is a leading global provider of outsourced medical device and components design, engineering and manufacturing, headquartered in Minnesota. Cirtec specialises in outsourced solutions for active implantable medical devices. Customers rely on Cirtec’s expertise to provide value-add solutions throughout the entire development cycle to help bring life-enhancing therapies to market.
The medical device outsourcing (MDO) market is expected to grow at a high single digit rate over the next five years and Cirtec is strategically indexed to the most innovative therapeutic end-markets that are growing at a rate beyond the broader MDO industry.
"We look forward to partnering with 3i. We feel that their approach, sector understanding and international reach makes them the right partner to support the next stage of our growth." Brian Highley, CEO, Cirtec
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.
Business & Technology Services
Digital Barriers is a leading provider of IoVT (Internet of Video Things) surveillance, security and business intelligence products. Headquartered in the UK with offices across the US and Europe, Digital Barriers’ unique video compression technology allows live streaming over low-bandwidth environments, including cellular body worn cameras and an ever growing set of commercial applications. When coupled with its cloud-based, video management platform Digital Barriers is able to provide an end-to-end solution incorporating a wide range of AI-based operational, safety and business intelligence analytics – the only such cloud video platform that works as effectively on cellular as on fixed networks.
The company has been a trusted partner to leading law enforcement, intelligence and defence agencies around the world for many years and will continue to serve this market. Working closely with Intel, Digital Barriers has leveraged its unique IP to develop commercial off-the-shelf products that are now being sold by blue chip telecom and security partners such as AT&T, Vodafone, Fujitsu and G4S to a wide range of commercial and public sector customers across various end-markets.
“We are delighted to partner with 3i and benefit from its expertise and global reach as we expand our offering with new products, move towards a subscription-based model and broaden our customer base, whilst continuing to provide a highly differentiated product and market-leading technology. We have now made live video over cellular networks a reliable and affordable reality for the first time - working with 3i and our new channel partners we can take these disruptive solutions out much more widely.” Zak Doffman, CEO, Digital Barriers
Industrial Technology
Dynatect is a leading manufacturer of engineered, mission critical components that protect equipment.
Dynatect’s products are made from a variety of materials ranging from nylons to metals and are designed to protect and elongate the life of valuable equipment and protect workers near machinery. Products are low-cost yet critical, such as cable carriers or telescopic protective covers, and are sold into a large number of end-markets including automation, machine tools, construction, agriculture, transportation, medical and O&G.
The company is headquartered in Wisconsin, USA, and operates in four locations in the US and two locations in Europe.
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.
Consumer
European Bakery Group is a pan-European bakery platform specialised in bake-off bread and snack products. The company is headquartered in Tilburg and currently operates six bakeries across the Netherlands.
European Bakery Group offers an innovative, high-quality and comprehensive product assortment, which is produced sustainably and with natural ingredients at its core. The bake-off market for bread and snack products is an attractive and growing market, with significant barriers to entry and increasing penetration of high-quality modified atmosphere packaging products (which extend the shelf life of fresh food products).
"3i has extensive experience in the private label market through its investments in Royal Sanders and Refresco and has a proven track record of growing companies internationally, both of which will be of great benefit to us. We look forward to working with them to build on our success to date and create a leading European player in the bake-off bread market." Raoul Vorage, CEO, European Bakery Group
Business & Technology Services
Headquartered in Paris, France, Evernex maintains equipment that is critical for customers' business continuity, with full coverage of all equipment (servers, storage and network) and all OEMs. With its global presence, Evernex maintains over 360,000 IT systems and is the clear leader in Europe, Latin America and MEA.
Evernex acts as a single point of contact to address complex issues for its customers, combining strong technological capabilities with the ability to ensure quality of service anywhere across the globe. Today, Evernex is a leading consolidation platform benefitting from a fragmented and highly resilient market.
"3i has a truly international team and network, which makes it the best partner for businesses looking to expand geographically. It also has deep expertise in the outsourcing space, and we look forward to benefiting from its track record as we accelerate our growth." Stanislas Pilot, CEO, Evernex
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i France.
Industrial Technology, Business & Technology Services
Formel D is a leading global service provider to the automotive and component supply industry, offering quality assurance and process optimisation along the entire value chain - from development to production through to aftersales.
The company offers a wide range of testing and inspection services for individual parts, systems and vehicles to major OEMs and suppliers. Formel D was founded in 1993 and has over 9,000 employees at 80 facilities in 22 countries worldwide.
"I very much look forward to shaping the future of the Formel D Group in partnership with 3i and CITIC Capital. As a leading service provider in the Automotive industry, Formel D has developed strongly in recent years, offering future-oriented growth potential on an international level. We feel the combination of 3i and CITIC Capital is an exceptional one to further drive the next phase of our growth.” Thomas Klukas, CEO, Formel D
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.
Business & Technology Services
JMJ is a US-headquartered, leading cultural transformation firm, focused on improving safety, sustainability, and performance. JMJ supports executives and front-line workers at companies with complex capital programmes and ongoing operations across diverse industries on a global basis.
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.
Consumer
Konges Sløjd is a fast-growing premium international lifestyle brand offering apparel and every day products for babies and children. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Konges Sløjd designs and markets high-quality children’s clothing, accessories, home products and toys through a curated network of (online-) retailers and direct-to-consumer e-commerce in more than 50 countries.
The business has been a forerunner in the premium baby/child segment through its stylish, functional, safe, durable, sustainable and affordable products across all children categories, and is well positioned to accelerate its growth across Europe, Asia and North America.
“I’m very excited about partnering with 3i as I believe they recognise and value the true spirit of Konges Sløjd and have the right values, team, toolbox and commitment to support us on our global journey. We will be able to maintain our unique values, brand and design approach whilst reaching even more families around the world.” Emilie Konge Breindal, Founder and CEO, Konges Sløjd
Consumer
Luqom Group is the #1 vertically-integrated online retailer of lighting products in Europe. It is headquartered in Germany, from where it distributes own-brand and third party products to customers all over Europe through 27 country-specific online shops.
Luqom Group differentiates itself from its competitors through an extensive range of 50,000 products, broad and differentiated product assortment, in-depth product knowledge, excellent customer service and high product availability. The company generated >€350m of sales in 2021, of which ~60% came from outside Germany. Luqom has grown strongly in the DACH region as well as internationally, through a steady roll-out across European countries in recent years.
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.
Business & Technology Services
MAIT Group is a leading provider of innovative and pioneering digital solutions in the DACH region. Headquartered in Rottweil, Germany, MAIT focuses on software and hardware in product lifecycle management (“PLM”), enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) and IT services generating approx. €120m in sales per annum.
The business develops and implements solutions in close cooperation with their over 5,300 SME customers. As a strategic implementation partner, MAIT uses the most innovative technologies from market-leading PLM, ERP and IT providers such as Siemens, PTC, SAP-PLM, abas, Comarch, HP and Fujitsu.
“As the management team, we are convinced that 3i will be a great partner for the next stage of MAIT’s growth, particularly in supporting our M&A strategy. 3i has a strong track record in the IT services sector and heritage in the DACH region. In addition, the 3i team has an impressive international network which will be very valuable to MAIT.” Stefan Niehusmann, CEO, MAIT
Regulatory information
This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc, advised by 3i Germany.
Consumer
Mepal is a leading Dutch lifestyle consumer brand that is known for its innovative, high-quality and sustainable products for storing, serving and take-away of food and drinks.
Headquartered in Lochem, the Netherlands, Mepal’s products are renowned for their original and premium design, functionality, convenience, quality and sustainability, resulting in market-leading levels of customer satisfaction which are sold through mass and specialty retail channels, e-commerce partners and Mepal’s own online channels.
We are partnering with the company's management team to continue the international expansion of the successful consumer brand. The company has grown impressively since 2018 driven by organic expansion into food retail and other large retail chains in Germany, and increased e-commerce revenue.
