M & A

Tele Columbus: buys up the competition

Tele Columbus, the third largest cable network provider in Germany is forging ahead with its acquisition campaign. After the Primacon takeover last July, the SDax-listed company recently bought up its competitor pepcom, number four on the list of cable networks, for approximately 608 million Euros.

This has further reinforced the company and its market position – today 3.7 million households are wired up through Tele Columbus, 810 thousand of which through pepcom. Pepcom’s turnover for 2014 was 126 million Euros but what is of great worth to Tele Columbus is the dowry brought by Pepcom of 1600 commercial clients which could be the starting point for future growth. The parties expect to conclude the transaction at the end of this year or by Spring 2016 at the latest. Tele Columbus expects to fund the acquisition mainly by new debts and an increase in share capital.

Indus: further takeovers

Indus Holding AG, an SME holding company has purchased another two packets of share quotas. Its portfolio company Obuk, manufacturer of high quality panels for front doors has acquired Eumatic/Frohmasco a manufacturer of ornamental frames and composite elements for doors. Eumatic/Frohmasco is particularly strong in the Swedish and Norwegian markets. With headquarters and factory in Poland, the group’s turnover in recent years has been in the region of 5.5 million Euros. Not only does this takeover broaden SDax-listed Indus’s range of products but gives it a footing in new target groups and export markets. In the past, Obuk used to be a customer of Eumatic/Frohmasco.

Ancotech – the Swiss-based Indus portfolio company specialised in concrete slab anchorage technology, has purchased the Swiss company Murinox, also a producer of anchorage systems with a 2014 turnover of some 1.1 million Swiss Francs. So far this year Indus has bought five companies investing approximately 50 million Euros. According to company management, a sixth acquisition this year is not to be ruled out.

Balda: selling to an investor

Medical technology specialist Balda AG is selling its business for 63 million Euros to financial investment company Paragon Partners. The revenue deriving from the company’s operational sector and other assets will be sold at a price of 2 Euros per share. Balda has announced that Paragon intends maintaining the company structure and strategy of the operational business as well as all the staff. The shareholders meeting and the monopolies commission still have to ratify the deal. The shareholders’ meeting called for November will also be called on to rule on the change of company objective and name.