from Gimv (EBR:GIMB)
Brouwerij Martens acquires United Dutch Breweries with a purpose of further joint global expansion
Press release
Brouwerij Martens acquires United Dutch Breweries with a purpose of further joint global expansion
Founded on a shared vision on brewery craftmanship, innovation and sustainability, Belgian based and family owned Brouwerij Martens acquires United Dutch Breweries from Gimv and management. From a high complementarity, both companies can
strengthen each other's further growth.
With a brewing heritage dating back to 1538, United Dutch Breweries (UDB) was among the first to export iconic Dutch beers all over the world. In close cooperation with its business partners, UDB has been brewing and shipping its proprietary brand portfolio of affordable premium beers to every corner of the world, with well established presence in more than 100 markets globally.
Since the investment by Gimv Consumer in 2015, UDB has evolved from a predominantly trade and volume-oriented beer company into a more focused, innovative, and growth focused organization. In 2023, UDB successfully launched its ‘Easy Brewing system’ in West Africa, an innovative and more sustainable way to open up local beer markets around the world.
Brouwerij Martens, founded in 1758, is the largest family-owned brewery in Belgium, based in Bocholt, Limburg. The company is an integral part of Belgium’s rich brewing history and well known for its craftsmanship and passion for brewing. With a state-of-the-art and best practice brewery in terms of sustainability and efficiency, Brouwerij Martens produces and sells more than 4 million hectoliters of beer across more than 100 countries worldwide.
Koen Bouckaert, Managing Partner Consumer & Patrick Franken, Partner Consumer, jointly declare : “Entering into a new growth phase, this transaction perfectly reflects the strategic growth ambitions of United Dutch Breweries. Leveraging the best-in-class production and supply chain capabilities of Brouwerij Martens will allow UDB to unlock the full potential from its proprietary brand portfolio and unrivalled global route to market, opening up new and attractive growth opportunities for the combined group. In addition, both companies are highly complementary, providing the combined group with a unique opportunity to unlock synergies and create value for all
stakeholders, making this a perfect match.”
Tom Verhaegen, CEO United Dutch Breweries, declares: “The combination of Brouwerij Martens and UDB creates enormous opportunities for all our stakeholders, not least for our customers and employees. After all, we combine the strong commercial, branding and route to market competencies of UDB to the production and supply chain competencies of Brouwerij Martens, which are simply excellent in terms of quality, flexibility and innovation power. We look back at our journey with Gimv with gratitude and look forward to a bright future at Brouwerij Martens with great pride and enthusiasm.”
Jan Martens, Executive Director Brouwerij Martens and 8th generation of the founding family, adds : "We see the collaboration with UDB as a new milestone in the history of our family brewery. After many investments in highly advanced and sustainable beer production and filling capacity, our focus and strategy now aim to strengthen our position in global markets with profitable and strong beer brands. UDB will certainly complement our ambitions here. The 9th generation of family brewers is ready to make this new challenge a success story with all our employees in Belgium and the Netherlands."
Gimv NV - Karel Oomsstraat 37, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium - T +32 3 290 21 00 - www.gimv.com 1
The Hague (NL) & Antwerp (BE), October 16th, 2024, 07:45 CET Press release
Danny Dresselaerts, CEO Brouwerij Martens, declares : “We are extremely proud to have been able to realize this transaction together with Gimv and UDB and consider the strategic cooperation with UDB as an important milestone in the further development and strengthening of our joint global business. Moreover, with strong brands such as Oranjeboom and Royal Dutch, and a broad international sales network, UDB will give our growth ambitions special acceleration. The complementarity between the two companies offers unique opportunities to commonly create more value, and we look forward with enormous confidence to realize our ambitions
together with the team of UDB.“
The transaction has no significant impact on the Net Asset Value per share as per 30 June 2024 that Gimv reported in the Trading Update of 3 September 2024. No further financial details will be disclosed.
About Gimv
Gimv is a European investment company with over 40 years of experience in private equity and is listed on Euronext Brussels as well as a member of the Euronext BEL ESG Index. Gimv currently has a portfolio of more than EUR 1.5 billion consisting of around 60 portfolio companies, with a combined turnover of EUR 4.0 billion and more than 20,000 employees.
As a recognized market leader in selected investment platforms, Gimv identifies entrepreneurial, innovative companies with high growth potential and supports them in their transformation into market leaders. Gimv's five investment platforms are Consumer, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Smart Industries and Sustainable Cities. Each platform works with an experienced team across Gimv’s home markets of Benelux, France and DACH, supported by an extended international network of experts.
Further information on Gimv can be found on www.gimv.com.
For further information please contact:
Koen Bouckaert, Managing Partner Consumer
T +32 3 290 21 31 – koen.bouckaert@gimv.com
Patrick Franken, Partner Consumer
T +31 70 3 618 625 – patrick.franken@gimv.com
Gimv NV - Karel Oomsstraat 37, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium - T +32 3 290 21 00 - www.gimv.com 2