Possible Acquisition of Desso by Bencis and the Current Management Board
By Desso Group Bv, PRNEThursday, February 3, 2011
WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, February 4, 2011 - Desso Group BV, with headquarters based in the Netherlands,
today owned by NPM Capital and current management, announces that NPM Capital
and Desso's Management Board have the intention to sell the company to Bencis
Capital Partners, whereby the current management will continue to invest in
the company. This intended transaction will take place under certain
conditions, including that the relevant competition authorities approve this
transaction and that financing by the banks will be approved. The relevant
Works Councils have received this planned decision for review and advice.
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Stef Kranendijk, CEO Desso Group: "In NPM Capital we have an
excellent shareholder, who has always actively supported the Management Board
in the execution of its plans. Despite the economic crisis, Desso's market
share and profitability have developed from year to year very favorably over
the past four years. We thank NPM Capital for the terrific cooperation over
the past four years."
Thanks to its focus on innovation and sustainability, Desso is
renown for its exceptional designs, its unique Cradle to Cradle(R) approach
and its patented products such as Desso AirMaster(R) (which reduces fine dust
in the air), Desso EcoBase(R) (which enables complete upcycling of carpet
tiles) and Desso GrassMaster(R) (soccer pitches of natural grass strengthened
by artificial grass, which are present in the top stadiums of the world, most
recently installed at Wembley). In addition, Desso is considered to be one of
the most aspiring branded residential textile flooring companies in Europe
with consumer brands Parade, Bonaparte and Desso.
Kranendijk continues: "Desso has been approached by Bencis
Capital Partners, who wish to become a shareholder and support the further
development and growth of the Desso business.
"Next to strengthening our position as leading player in
Europe we see major opportunities to grow our business in Latin-America and
Asia with our strong product portfolio. NPM Capital and the Management Board
have positively accepted the offer of Bencis Capital Partners and intend to
fully support the timely completion of the intended transaction. We are
impressed by our new partner and are convinced that Bencis Capital Partners
will actively cooperate to further develop the profitable growth of Desso and
its outstanding and highly motivated colleagues."
Bencis Capital Partners (www.bencis.nl) is a reputed
Dutch private equity firm that invests in companies with net sales of between
EUR 30 to 500 million.
About DESSO
Desso focuses primarily on superior floor design and Cradle to
Cradle(R), in providing high quality carpet tiles and broadloom. It's
commercial product offering, business carpets, represents more than half of
total sales and can be found in offices, banks, retail units, public
buildings, schools, universities and care centers. Clients include ABN AMRO,
Rabobank, AkzoNobel, Dutch Ministry of Safety & Justice, KPMG, PWC, Deloitte,
Allianz, Canon, EDF, HSBC, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, SNCF, Nestle and many
more.
Desso's innovation strategy is concentrated in 3 key areas:
Creativity, Functionality and Cradle to Cradle(R). For Desso, creativity is
synonymous with CARPETECTURE(R), which is a powerful example of Desso's
commitment to creative carpet design and its dedication to meet the needs of
architects, interior designers, building owners and end users. In the field
of functionality, Desso develops pioneering solutions that make a difference
for health, wellness and well-being. As a result of this innovation and
creativity strategy, Desso has launched a number of patented products like
Desso AirMaster(R), for 8 times lower fine-dust concentration in the air
(versus hard floors), and Desso EcoBase(R), which enabled the world's first
and only Cradle to Cradle(R) Silver Certification for an entire carpet tile
product.
Desso Consumer Carpets is represented by three strong brands: Parade,
Bonaparte and Desso. All with a rich history in manufacturing high-end
consumer carpets where products are available through specialist retail
traders, plus selected carpet stores and home furnishing shops. Desso
Consumer Carpets is the only European high end consumer carpet company with
sales in Benelux, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.
Desso's creative carpet design and service oriented approach has enabled
Desso to become a leader in developing solutions for the Hospitality, Marine
and Aviation (HMA) markets. Desso's HMA division works with companies such as
Hilton, Intercontinental, Maritime, KLM, Virgin, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
and Holland America Line.
Desso Sports Systems is a leading player in the provision of
artificial turf for sports fields and reinforced natural grass systems that
provide the perfect surface at every level of sport. Desso GrassMaster(R) is
a sports field of natural grass reinforced with Desso synthetic grass fibres,
which has been installed in World Championship stadiums in South Africa and
in 'football temple' Wembley.
Cradle to Cradle(R)
In signing a partnership agreement with the Hamburg-based
Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), Desso has become the
first carpet manufacturer in EMEA to adopt the Cradle to Cradle(R) design. It
marks Desso's radical decision to move beyond 'mere' sustainability in
producing its carpets and artificial grass. In the Cradle to Cradle(R)
principles, products are made from pure components that are easy to
disassemble, in order to create new products (= up-cycling) in both the
biological and technical cycles.
Desso is active in 110 countries and can look back on almost
80 years of proven performance, having built a reputation as a leading
manufacturer of high quality carpet tiles, broadloom and artificial grass
pitches. Desso has four factories and two major distribution centres in
Europe, as well as specialist customer service centres throughout Europe, in
America, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.
For more information, please see www.desso.com
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Though financial details will not be provided questions may be addressed to
spokesman Dick Haijma +31703538317 or +31617143286.
Tags: Desso Group Bv, February 4, Netherlands, The Netherlands, Waalwijk