Montagu, a leading European mid-market private equity investor,
and the founders of Unifeeder are pleased to announce Montagu's
acquisition of Northern Europe's leading feeder operator for
container transportation.
Unifeeder operates the largest feeder network for container
transportation in Northern Europe. The Company transports
containers from the large container hubs at Hamburg, Bremerhaven
and Rotterdam to over 20 ports across the Nordic Region, the Baltic
States and Russia. As an independent feeder operator, Unifeeder
collects and transports containers for many deep sea container
lines, offering a frequent and reliable service with over 7,500
calls per year. The Company's feeder operations are complemented by
its door-to-door container transport and freight forwarding
businesses.
Unifeeder was established by Peter Bohnsen and Tonny D. Paulsen in
1977. Today, the Company has sales of more than €380m and is
headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark. It has 200 employees and
subsidiaries in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany and the
Netherlands. In addition, the Company has a presence through agents
in Belgium, England, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.
Jesper Kristensen, currently responsible for the German, Baltic
and Russian operations, will become Chief Executive of
Unifeeder.
"Unifeeder is an integral part of the transportation chain and
enjoys an excellent record of volume and revenue growth. The
Company fits perfectly into Montagu's strategy of investing in
partnership with outstanding management teams in businesses with
positive momentum and substantial growth and development potential"
said Peter Dahlberg, Investment Director at Montagu.
Jesper Kristensen, CEO of Unifeeder commented "The management team
has worked hard under the guidance of the founders and we are proud
of the achievements made to date. However, we are pleased that the
deal with Montagu is now concluded. We are convinced that Montagu's
financial resources, knowledge and expertise will help us take the
Company to the next stage of its development whilst maintaining the
existing heart and soul of Unifeeder. We are truly delighted to
have their support."
In a joint statement Peter Bohnsen and Tonny D. Paulsen said "This
has not been an easy decision for us. Over the past 30 years,
Unifeeder has developed into a key player in the container
transportation market with a presence in 12 countries. However, it
is now time for us to hand over the responsibility and we are very
pleased to have found Montagu, who we believe has the right
attitude and approach to work together with our excellent
management team and employees to continue the positive development
of the Company. It has been our highest priority to find an owner
that will uphold Unifeeder's independent position in the feeder
market."
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals.
The investment in Unifeeder is Montagu's third acquisition in the
Nordic region in the last two years. In 2006 Montagu acquired
Logstor, the world's leading manufacturer of pre-insulated pipe
systems. In 2005 Montagu acquired VetXX from Leo Pharma and
divested Finnish Chemicals to Kemira.
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