Author: Elina Härkönen

The Finnish private equity firm Intera Partners invests in Kamux, Finland’s largest car retailer focused exclusively on used cars and related services. The Company’s management will maintain a significant minority ownership and continue to develop the Company together with Intera Partners.

The market for used cars in Finland is substantial –more than 500,000 used cars are sold annually. The market is however very fragmented and Kamux, with its 16 stores, is the largest player that focuses exclusively on used cars, with a market share of less than 2%. In the past five years Kamux has achieved profitable growth with an average growth rate of ca. 40% annually and the Company will have revenues of over EUR 70 million in 2011.

According to the founder and CEO Juha Kalliokoski, the key factors behind the strong growth are reliability, high-quality customer service and competitive pricing. Within the industry, Kamux is known for innovative business concepts. It provides its customers with value-added services, such as car financing, insurance and warranty and in 2011, the Company delivered already 20% of the cars it sold directly to customers’ homes.

Intera believes in the continued growth of Kamux and its customer-oriented and competitive business model even in challenging economic conditions.

“Kamux is led by an excellent management group and the Company has been able to maintain growth also in a challenging business environment of 2008-2009. Intera will provide Kamux with additional resources and knowledge to further expand the business in Finland as well as abroad”, says Jokke Paananen, Partner at Intera.

According to Juha Kalliokoski, downturns enhance demand for used cars and provide Kamux with an opportunity for attractive car purchases. “In addition to expanding our current business, we will launch new products and services to meet the needs of used car buyers”, states Kalliokoski.

For additional information:
Juha Kalliokoski, CEO of Kamux Oy, tel. +358 50 544 5538, email: juha.kalliokoski@kamux.fi
Jokke Paananen, Partner at Intera Partners, tel. +358 50 300 3737, email: jokke.paananen@interapartners.fi

Kamux Oy
Kamux Oy (www.kamux.fi) is Finland’s largest car retailer focused exclusively on used cars and related services. Kamux has 16 stores across Finland and 52 employees. Since 2007 Kamux has grown with an average revenue growth rate of 40% annually and the Company will achieve revenues of over EUR 70 million in 2011.

Finnish private equity company Intera Partners is investing in the largest privately held hotel and restaurant group in Finland, Royal Ravintolat Oy. The current owners, the Saari and Hynninen families, will remain significant minority owners after the transaction, which is being undertaken to prepare Royal Ravintolat Oy for expansion and a changing market situation in the metropolitan area. The deal is subject to approval from the Finnish Competition Authorities.

The hotel and restaurant industry in the Helsinki area is expected to grow despite the economic uncertainty of the near future. The €1.2 billion hotel and restaurant market in the metropolitan area is anticipated to expand led by the travel industry. ‘Taking advantage of growth opportunities requires companies to be able to make fast decisions even in uncertain market situations. The resources provided by Intera open new opportunities in these circumstances,’ says the CEO of Royal Ravintolat Oy, Kasperi Saari.
The managing partner of Intera, Tuomas Lang, says: ‘Capital areas have unique hotel and restaurant submarkets and are the areas least affected by changes in the economic environment. The service sector is constantly gaining importance in Helsinki, and with its capable personnel and long-term strategic management, Royal Ravintolat has developed into an industry leader for the region.’

New hotels and restaurants to complement the existing brand portfolio
Royal Ravintolat is best known for Hotel Haven, in the Small Luxury Hotels chain; the recently opened Hotel Fabian; first-class meeting and event services; and, in total, 27 restaurants – iconic Helsinki favourites as well as new hotspots. Intera is committed to developing the business around the classic brands and the different cornerstones of the group’s operations.
A key goal for Royal Ravintolat Oy over the next few years is to open several new hotels and restaurants. Managing several types of growth projects simultaneously requires commitment and versatile resources from the owners.

For additional information:
Kasperi Saari, CEO of Royal Ravintolat Oy, tel. +358 50 567 7557, e-mail: kasperi.saari@royalravintolat.com
Tuomas Lang, Managing Partner of Intera Partners Oy, tel. +358 40 545 1240, e-mail: tuomas.lang@interapartners.fi

Royal Ravintolat is the largest privately owned restaurant corporation in Finland. It includes the parent company, Royal Ravintolat Oy, as well as Oy Union Hotels Ab, which is wholly owned by Royal Ravintolat Oy. Individual locations include Hotel Haven and Hotel Fabian and a total of 27 restaurants in 21 different locations. These restaurants employ over 500 people in Helsinki. The turnover target for 2011 is about 67 million euros. The group’s restaurants include Bar All In, Elite, Fabian, the Fennia salon, Fills Kitchen, the Finlandia restaurant, G.W. Sundmans, Havis, Kanava Bar, Katajanokan Kasino, Kellarikrouvi, Kulosaaren Casino, Macu, Nuevo, Pub Fidel, Pörssitalo, Ravintola Katsomo, Ravintola NJK, Ravintola Nokka, Ravintola Savoy, Ravintola Sipuli, Ravintola Teatteri, Salutorget, Strindberg, Sundmans Krog, Töölönranta, and the restaurant Wanha Satama.

 
 Delete Group Oy acquires ISS Teollisuuspalvelut Oy from ISS Palvelut Oy, the Finnish subsidiary of ISS A/S. ISS Teollisuuspalvelut provides industrial cleaning services for corporate clients and employs 120 professionals.

ISS Teollisuuspalvelut (“ISS TP”) will be renamed as Delete Puhdistuspalvelut Oy. The company’s employees and CEO Harri Salmi will continue in their current roles. Following the transaction, Delete will provide industrial cleaning and other environmental services to clients of ISS Palvelut through a partnership agreement.

ISS TP will become a part of Delete Group’s cleaning service business. Delete’s other areas of business include heavy demolition, waste processing and special demolition services.

“We highly appreciate the experience and expertise of ISS TP’s employees, and wish them a warm welcome to the Delete team. Skillful employees ensure top-quality service for our clients also going forward”, Delete’s CEO Jussi Niemelä says.

“ISS TP is a highly respected company in its field, and its operations are based on certified quality control, safety and environmental management systems. Solid occupational safety culture is an integral part of the company’s operations. As part of Delete’s industrial cleaning service business, the company also has substantial potential for additional growth. Being part of a larger entity will further improve the company’s service capabilities”, Mr. Niemelä adds.

“The partnership agreement with Delete Group will allow us to offer a wider range of environmental services to our current industrial clients and prospective clients”, ISS Service’s CEO Kari Virta says. ISS’s core business includes staff-based support services, such as cleaning and office services, building and property maintenance services and catering and security services for corporate and public clients.

“Acquisition of ISS TP transforms Delete Group into a leading nationwide provider of industrial cleaning services and supports Delete’s long-term growth strategy”, comments Janne Näränen of Intera Partners, the largest shareholder of Delete Group.

Following the acquisition, Delete will employ approximately 600 professionals. The group’s pro forma turnover will reach approximately EUR 70 million in 2011.

For more information:
Kari Virta, ISS Palvelut Oy, CEO, tel. +358 40 751 1853, kari.virta@iss.fi
Jussi Niemelä, Delete Group Oy, CEO, tel. +358 400 462 696, jussi.niemela@delete.fi

ISS Teollisuuspalvelut Oy

Established in 1983, ISS Teollisuuspalvelut Oy is an independent subsidiary of ISS Palvelut. ISS Palvelut acquired the company in 2001. The company employs 120 professionals in Pori, Rauma, Raahe, Kajaani, Kemi, Anjalankoski, Porvoo and Siilinjärvi.

ISS Palvelut Oy

ISS Palvelut Oy is Finland’s third largest private employer and the country’s leading provider of facility and business services. ISS serves both corporate and public sector clients. In 2010, the company’s turnover was EUR 516 million and it employs approximately 12,000 people. ISS Palvelut Oy (http://www.iss.fi) is a part of the international ISS Group (http://www.issworld.com), which operates in more than 50 countries.

Delete Group Oy

Delete Group (http://www.delete.fi) is a rapidly growing Finnish company, which provides industrial cleaning, heavy demolition, waste processing and special demolition services for corporate and public sector clients. The group employs approximately 600 environmental service professionals. The pro forma turnover for the group companies will reach approximately EUR 70 million in 2011. Delete Group is jointly owned by Finnish equity investor, Intera Partners (https://interapartners.com), the executives of the acquired companies and the key personnel.

Finnish private equity investor Intera has invested in Tamtron and become the majority owner of the Group providing industrial weighing equipment. The Group CEO and previous main owner Pentti Asikainen will continue in his current role and keep a considerable ownership share in the company.

Tamtron, founded in 1972, has over three decades developed into a leading provider of digital weighing equipment and related information systems for industrial and logistics applications. Relying on in-house technologies and application know-how, Tamtron has sales in over 50 countries and a strong market position, through its subsidiaries, especially in the Nordic countries, Central Europe and China.

”Tamtron has performed well in the global markets and can offer advanced solutions for train, truck, industrial and onboard mobile weighing. With its strong know-how and competent professionals, Tamtron has succeeded in creating lasting customer relationships in its core markets. The prerequisites for further growth are excellent”, says Intera’s partner Martin Grotenfelt.

CEO Pentti Asikainen sees the expansion of the ownership base as very positive for the group. “Intera is a growth oriented owner who has the skills and interest to invest considerable resources in the expansion and continuous development of Tamtron. The company’s competitive product portfolio, including WILD – a system for train wheel defection and overload monitoring and YES – a wheel loader weighing system, sets a strong base for organic expansion. With new owners we can also be more active in expanding our footprint in new markets through selected acquisitions”, says Asikainen.

“Weighing solutions comprise an increasingly important part in complex logistic chains of commercial goods and raw materials. Tamtron’s product portfolio will be further developed by emphasizing opportunities in e.g. location, wireless communication and RFID-identification based technologies”, continue Asikainen and Grotenfelt.

Tamtron Oy, founded in 1972, is a Finnish developer and manufacturer of weighing applications and related information systems. Its current core markets are the Nordic countries, Central-Europe and China. The company is headquartered in Tampere, Finland and has approximately 200 employees. Estimated group revenue for FY 2011 is approximately 25 million.

More information

Martin Grotenfelt
Partner
Intera Partners Oy
tel. +358 50 2145

Tamtron website: www.tamtron.fi

The merger of Intera’s portfolio company Polarica and Finnish Lapin Liha Oy has been completed. The acquisition supports Polarica’s strategy to become the leading Nordic berry and game meat producer with sufficient scale and recourses to internationalize the sales of healthy food products derived from the Nordic nature.

Both companies produce game and berry products and the combined entity has operations Sweden, Finland, Poland and Russia. Combined pro forma revenue for the Group amounts to €110 million in 2011. The Group has approx 280 employees.

– Lapin Liha has a very strong market position in Finland and its products and competences are complementary to Polarica’s offering. We believe that through the merger two strong companies form an even stronger combined entity with possibility to grow internationally, says Lapin Liha’s CEO Jukka Kristo.

Intera, who continues as the majority owner of the Group also after the transaction, sees plenty of future growth potential especially in the Nordic market of game products but also growth outside the Nordic region is a clear goal for the future. The combined Group is able to make the necessary investments to increase the value-add of the products as well as to invest more heavily in sales and marketing.

– The new Group has significant possibilities to develop the marketing of healthy Nordic food products internationally. Also the position of reindeer meat in the environmentally conscious Swedish and Finnish retail markets can be further improved and our berry products have plenty of international sales potential, says Martin Grotenfelt, partner of Intera and board member of Polarica

Additional information:

Martin Grotenfelt
partner
Intera Partners Oy
+358 50 2145

Polarica AB was founded in 1972 and is today one of Europe’s leading producers of wild berries, garden berries and game meat. Polarica’s products are sold to retail, food industry, HoReCa and pharmaceutical customers with own and private label brands.

Delete Group (formerly YP Holding) has acquired three environmental service companies – Lifa Palvelut, ASB Group and Enviroc. Following the acquisition, the group employs approx. 400 employees and its pro forma turnover exceeds 50 million euros.

Acquired companies will form Delete’s Special demolition business unit. Other Delete Group BU:s include Heavy demolition, Cleaning services and Waste processing.

Lifa Palvelut group includes Hesabest, the leading Finnish asbestos and hazardous material removal company; HB Paloturva, which performs firestop installations; and HB Sisäilmatutkimus, which provides asbestos and other hazardous materials inspection and identification services.

ASB Group, through its subsidiary Scan-Clean, is one of Finland´s leading fire and water damage remediation and control service providers. Group’s other activities include asbestos and other hazardous materials inspection and identification services; asbestos and hazardous material removal through subsidiary Lämpöset; and ventilation channel cleaning and imaging services through subsidiary IV-Special.

Through Delete’s acquisition of Enviroc’s partial demolition business, Enviroc’s demolition-focused daughter company Rikano will also join Delete Group.

Delete Group has earlier acquired Toivonen Yhtiöt Oy, Tehoc Oy, Was-Ste Oy, Painehuuhtelu PTV Oy, Vuoksen Teollisuuspuhdistus Oy, RMS Ympäristöpalvelut Oy and Seppo Lehtola Oy.

CONTACT

Janne Näränen, partner

Intera Partners Oy
tel. +358 50 566 4869
janne.naranen@interapartners.fi

Intera Partners Oy (“Intera”) today announces the closing of Intera Fund II Ky at €200 million. Investors in the Fund include leading Nordic and European institutional investors. Intera will continue to invest primarily in Finnish companies that possess substantial growth potential in their domestic market or potential to expand abroad.

Intera aims to invest primarily in Finnish companies that possess growth potential either in their domestic market or abroad. The most common limitations for growth faced by Finnish mid-sized companies are lack of capital needed for expansion as well as limited experience in executing acquisitions and managing international growth. Intera aims to add value in its portfolio companies by removing these limitations through leveraging its expertise in finance and M&A, as well as its industrial and international experience.

Intera’s typical investment targets are profitable companies with turnover of €10-100 million that have not yet reached their full capacity. Intera’s strategy is built on a strong partnership with entrepreneurs and the management teams of its portfolio companies. Intera is generally a majority owner in its portfolio companies and prior owners have often retained a significant minority interest after selling their company to Intera.

From its first fund, Intera Fund I established in 2007, Intera has successfully invested in seven companies, among others Consti, Orthex and Trafotek.

For more information contact: Managing Director Tuomas Lang, tel. +358 40 545 1240, tuomas.lang_a_interapartners.fi,www.interapartners.fi

Intera Partners Oy is a Finnish private equity firm focusing on majority investments in Finnish and Scandinavian companies. We aim to maximise the value of the companies we invest in through growth and improved profitability. Intera is an active owner who works in close co-operation with the management of its portfolio companies to develop them further.

Normek, owned by Intera Fund I, grows by acquiring Naaraharju Oy, a producer of steel structures, and Botnia Fasad Oy, a producer of glass facades. The acquisitions increase Normek’s budgeted turnover for 2011 to over €100 million.

”With the acquisitions of Naaraharju and Botnia Fasad we attempt to enhance our position especially in the Finnish and Swedish markets for steel structures and glass facade production”, Managing Director of Normek, Klaus Saarikallio says. ”By improving sales and marketing and with synergy benefits, we attempt to gain an increased amount of orders for our production facilities. For our clients the acquisitions bring increased capacity also for the largest and most demanding projects”, Saarikallio continues.

At the moment two thirds of Normek’s order stock comes from Sweden, where the company in June 2010 acquired Brisab Industri AB, a producer of steel structures. ”We will continue to produce the most demanding structures and the largest projects in Finland even for the Swedish markets. It is our objective to gain foothold in the Swedish glass facade market together with Botnia Fasad”, Klaus Saarikallio says.
Both Normek and Naaraharju have a strong position as supplier of steel structures to industrial projects. A clear area of growth is the mining industry. In Northern Sweden, Normek has already in the past years delivered three substantial steel structure deliveries for the mining industry, each worth over €10 million.

Additional information:
Jokke Paananen, Intera Partners, partner, tel. +358 50 3003737

Naaraharju Oy is founded in 1970 and is today a leading supplier of steel structures in Finland. The company’s production facility is located in Naarajärvi, Pieksamäki. At the moment the company employs approximately 80 people and its budgeted turnover for the year 2011 is €19 million.

Botnia Fasad Oy is one of Finland’s leading suppliers of glass facade solutions. The company’s modern production facility is located in Isokyrö. Botnia Fasad employs 30 people and its budgeted turnover for year 2011 is €8 million.
Normek Group concentrates on production of steel structures, glass facades and steel bridges. Normek is one of the market leaders in the Nordic Countries. Normek’s headquarters are located in Vantaa, and after the acquisitions the Group has six production facilities in Finland and two in Sweden.

Putkistohuuhtelu Oy PTV, Vuoksen Teollisuuspuhdistus-Oy, RMS Ympäristöpalvelut Oy ja Seppo Lehtola Oy have joined the Intera-owned environmental services company. In 2010, the combined entity reached pro forma revenues of €36 million.

Delete Group, a leading Finnish environmental services company, will expand to Sweden through a merger with Sanvac Miljö Ab, an Umeå-based industrial cleaning company. Over the past years, Sanvac’s owner Leif Danielsson has made Sanvac a well-known, trusted operator in Northern Sweden. Following the merger with Delete Group, Mr. Danielsson will become a head of Delete Group’s Swedish operations. He will also continue in his current management role with Sanvac Miljö.

– Delete Group has grown impressively in Finland. I believe that joining Delete opens up an opportunity to grow in Sweden, says Mr. Danielsson.

– The merger with Sanvac Miljö supports the growth strategy of Delete and complements our service offering, comments Jussi Niemelä, CEO of Delete Group.

– Sanvac Miljö is a professionally-run company that serves its customers with modern equipment and excellent know-how. The merger opens up opportunities for cross-border co-operation in industrial cleaning and other environmental services. This co-operation will help us to respond to growing needs of our clients, Niemelä says.

Following the merger, Delete Group’s turnover will approach 80 million euros. The combined entity employs close to 650 environmental services professionals.

For additional information:
Janne Näränen, Intera Partners Oy, partner, tel. +358 50 566 4869, janne.naranen@interapartners.fi
Jussi Niemelä, Delete Group Oy, CEO, tel. +358 400 462 696, jussi.niemela@delete.fi

Delete Group
Delete Group Oy (http://www.delete.fi) provides environmental services for industrial and construction sector clients in Finland, Sweden and the Baltics. Following the merger with Sanvac, the pro forma turnover for the Group’s companies is close to EUR 80 million in 2011. The combined entity employs nearly 650 environmental service professionals.

Delete Group provides industrial cleaning services, demolition services, waste management and recycling services and special demolition services. Delete Group is owned by Finnish private equity investor Intera Partners (https://interapartners.com), together with the key personnel.

Sanvac Miljö
Sanvac Miljö Ab (http://www.sanvac.se) provides industrial cleaning services for industrial and construction sector clients. The company operates in northern Sweden, with headquarters near Umeå. Sanvac Miljö employs approximately 35 industrial cleaning professionals and its turnover was EUR 6 million in 2011.