Zurich \u2014 Funds advi\u00adsed by Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe (\u201cEquis\u00adtone\u201d) are acqui\u00adring the Franke Water Systems divi\u00adsion, a divi\u00adsion of the Franke Group and a leading Euro\u00adpean manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adrer and supplier of kitchen and sani\u00adtary faucets for the resi\u00adden\u00adtial, public and commer\u00adcial sectors. Thors\u00adten Klap\u00adp\u00adroth, form\u00aderly CEO of Hans\u00adg\u00adrohe SE and WMF AG, is invol\u00adved in the tran\u00adsac\u00adtion as co-inves\u00adtor. The seller of the Franke Water Systems Divi\u00adsion, which consists of the two busi\u00adness units KWC Group (\u201cKWC\u201d) and WS Commer\u00adcial Group (\u201cWSC\u201d), is Franke Holding AG (\u201cFranke Group\u201d). The exis\u00adting manage\u00adment team will conti\u00adnue to drive the company\u2019s growth stra\u00adtegy in the future. The parties have agreed not to disc\u00adlose details of the tran\u00adsac\u00adtion, which is still subject to appr\u00adoval by the rele\u00advant compe\u00adti\u00adtion authorities.<\/p>\n
Franke Water Systems is a divi\u00adsion of the Franke Group, foun\u00added in 1911 in Rorschach, Switz\u00ader\u00adland, a leading global supplier of solu\u00adti\u00adons and equip\u00adment for dome\u00adstic kitchens, private bath\u00adrooms, semi-public\/\u00adpu\u00adblic wash\u00adrooms, profes\u00adsio\u00adnal system cate\u00adring and coffee prepa\u00adra\u00adtion. Franke Water Systems was estab\u00adlished as an inde\u00adpen\u00addent divi\u00adsion of the Franke Group and consists of the two busi\u00adness units KWC and WSC. Franke Water Systems has produc\u00adtion sites and compe\u00adtence centers in Europe, the United Arab Emira\u00adtes and Asia. In 2020, the company recor\u00added sales of more than 192 million Swiss francs with around 900 employees.<\/p>\n
KWC is the Swiss market leader for resi\u00adden\u00adtial sani\u00adtary, resi\u00adden\u00adtial kitchen and commer\u00adcial kitchen fittings, head\u00adquar\u00adte\u00adred in Unter\u00adkulm. The tradi\u00adtio\u00adnal company offers its custo\u00admers solu\u00adti\u00adons from the medium to the luxury price segment. Thanks in parti\u00adcu\u00adlar to the high-quality mate\u00adri\u00adals and work\u00adman\u00adship of its products, as well as the inno\u00adva\u00adtive design and a promise of quality \u201cMade in Switz\u00ader\u00adland\u201d, the company enjoys great popu\u00adla\u00adrity among instal\u00adlers and architects.<\/p>\n
WSC offers its custo\u00admers high-quality stain\u00adless steel fittings and compon\u00adents for the commer\u00adcial and (semi-)public sani\u00adtary sector. WSC products are used in wash\u00adrooms of public faci\u00adli\u00adties such as office and admi\u00adnis\u00adtra\u00adtion buil\u00addings, sports stadi\u00adums as well as hotels and hospi\u00adtals, among others. WSC has inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal loca\u00adti\u00adons and is distin\u00adgu\u00adis\u00adhed, among other things, by its compre\u00adhen\u00adsive and high-quality product port\u00adfo\u00adlio as well as its high level of service competence.<\/p>\n
Equis\u00adtone supports the carve-out of Franke Water Systems from the Franke Group. Toge\u00adther with Thors\u00adten Klap\u00adp\u00adroth, form\u00aderly CEO of Hans\u00adg\u00adrohe SE and WMF AG, and the exis\u00adting manage\u00adment team, Equis\u00adtone will drive the expan\u00adsion of the inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal busi\u00adness as well as the orga\u00adnic and inor\u00adga\u00adnic growth of Franke Water Systems \u2014 buil\u00adding on the solid busi\u00adness deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment in recent years. A parti\u00adcu\u00adlar focus will be on further deve\u00adlo\u00adping the inno\u00adva\u00adtive product range and expan\u00adding the company\u2019s strong brand positioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deligh\u00adted about the inves\u00adtors\u2019 confi\u00addence in the manage\u00adment team. Toge\u00adther with Equis\u00adtone, we want to conti\u00adnue to offer our custo\u00admers high-quality solu\u00adti\u00adons for kitchens and sani\u00adtary faci\u00adli\u00adties and successfully deve\u00adlop Franke Water Systems,\u201d says Patrick Trutt\u00admann, CFO of Franke Water Systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cFranke Water Systems has excel\u00adlent people on its team and enjoys an excel\u00adlent market posi\u00adtion in key Euro\u00adpean markets, as well as great poten\u00adtial for further profi\u00adta\u00adble growth,\u201d says Thors\u00adten Klapproth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Euro\u00adpean market for kitchen and sani\u00adtary products has been deve\u00adlo\u00adping very satis\u00adfac\u00adto\u00adrily for years. Franke Water Systems is ideally posi\u00adtio\u00adned to play an important role in this market envi\u00adron\u00adment. With Thors\u00adten Klap\u00adp\u00adroth, we were able to gain a proven indus\u00adtry expert with many years of expe\u00adri\u00adence, who has repea\u00adtedly proven that it is possi\u00adble to successfully deve\u00adlop strong brands with enthu\u00adsi\u00ada\u00adstic employees and inno\u00adva\u00adtive products \u2014 both orga\u00adni\u00adcally and inor\u00adga\u00adni\u00adcally,\u201d says Stefan Maser, Part\u00adner at Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe.<\/p>\n
Stefan Maser, David Zahnd and Roman Emanuel Hegglin are respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the tran\u00adsac\u00adtion on the part of Equistone.<\/p>\n
Advi\u00adsor Equistone:<\/strong> About Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe<\/strong> Zurich \u2014 Funds advi\u00adsed by Equis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe (\u201cEquis\u00adtone\u201d) are acqui\u00adring the Franke Water Systems divi\u00adsion, a divi\u00adsion of the Franke Group and a leading Euro\u00adpean manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adrer and supplier of kitchen and sani\u00adtary faucets for the resi\u00adden\u00adtial, public and commer\u00adcial sectors. Thors\u00adten Klap\u00adp\u00adroth, form\u00aderly CEO of Hans\u00adg\u00adrohe SE and WMF AG, is invol\u00adved in the [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886,1364,1365,1366,1367,1368,1369,1372,1377,1381,1389],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-en","category-featured-en","category-private-equity-en","category-news-en","category-lawyers-tax-advisors-auditors-en","category-lawyers-tax-consultants-auditors","category-investors","category-consultant","category-corporate-finance-ma","category-private-debt-mezzanine","category-private-debt-mezzanine-financing-en","news-category-private-equity-news-en"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMunich Stra\u00adtegy<\/strong> (Commer\u00adcial), tkhd<\/strong> (Commer\u00adcial), KPMG<\/strong> (Finan\u00adcial), B\u00e4r & Karrer<\/strong> (Legal, Tax), ERM<\/strong> (Envi\u00adron\u00adment), Marsh\/Kessler<\/strong> (Insu\u00adrance), GCA Altium<\/strong> (Debt Advi\u00adsory) and Enqcor<\/strong> (M&A Advisory).<\/p>\n
\nEquis\u00adtone Part\u00adners Europe is one of the most active Euro\u00adpean equity inves\u00adtors with a team of more than 40 invest\u00adment specia\u00adlists in seven offices in Germany, Switz\u00ader\u00adland, the Nether\u00adlands, France and the UK. Equis\u00adtone prima\u00adrily invests in estab\u00adlished medium-sized compa\u00adnies with a good market posi\u00adtion, above-average growth poten\u00adtial and an enter\u00adprise value of between EUR 50 and 500 million. Since its foun\u00adda\u00adtion, equity has been inves\u00adted in around 160 tran\u00adsac\u00adtions in the DACH region and the Nether\u00adlands, mainly mid-market buy-outs. The port\u00adfo\u00adlio curr\u00adently compri\u00adses over 50 compa\u00adnies across Europe, inclu\u00adding around 20 active holdings in Germany, Switz\u00ader\u00adland and the Nether\u00adlands. Equis\u00adtone is curr\u00adently inves\u00adt\u00ading from its sixth fund, which closed in March 2018 with \u20ac2.8 billion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"