Vermaat Groep B.V. ("Vermaat" or the "Company"), the Dutch market leader in high-end catering and hospitality services, will be acquired by international private equity group Bridgepoint for an undisclosed sum.
Established in 1978 as a delicatessen store, Vermaat is a specialist in tailor-made hospitality, providing premium outsourced catering services to a variety of markets including corporates, museums, hospitals and travel hubs. Today it operates over 350 premium food and beverage outlets across the Netherlands, including restaurants, cafés and canteens and has a growing presence in Germany.
The company serves a number of high-profile clients and employs over 4000 people. It is expected to generate close to €300 million of sales in 2019.
Vermaat is being acquired from global private markets investment manager, Partners Group, which acquired it on behalf of its clients from Vermaat's founding family in 2015. Partners Group will remain a minority investor in the company.
Commenting on the acquisition, Vermaat CEO Rick Zeelen said: "We've grown rapidly and successfully in the Netherlands in recent years, while preserving our unique entrepreneurial culture. I'm proud of where we stand today; we have a great portfolio of clients, strong stable partnerships and, above all, 4,000 driven hospitality colleagues. We are ready for our next leap forward. In Bridgepoint we have found a partner who embraces our values, who will work with us in the exciting world of taste and who, with current management, can help us realise our national and international ambitions."
Olivier van Riet Paap, Head of Bridgepoint's investment activities in Benelux, said: "Vermaat is a clear European leader thanks to its reputation for creativity in formats, quality and food innovation. In a fragmented European market which is underserved by larger groups, the Vermaat platform, working with Bridgepoint, will have the resources and international reach to further develop its German presence and to enter new markets across Europe."
The premium outsourced catering segment is the fastest growing segment in the larger catering market and is currently valued at over €2 billion within the combined Dutch and German catering markets valued at €13 billion.
Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary conditions, including consultation of the works council and receipt of merger control clearance.
Advisers involved in this transaction included:
(for Bridgepoint) - Rothschild (Corporate Finance), EY (Financial and Commercial), WhiteSpace Partners (Commercial), Freshfields (Legal), ERM (ESG).