Author Archive
Barnas Hus sold to Reflex
Reflex acquires 100% of the shares in Barnas Hus.
Barnas Hus is a retail chain specializing in equipment and clothing for all children aged from 0 and up to 8 years. Barnas Hus was established in 2004 and is a nationwide retail chain with 18 stores from Kristiansand in the south to Tromsø in the north.
Monster sold to CapMan
Press release from CapMan:
CapMan Builds Nordic television production company
CapMan Buyout VIII fund, Roope Lehtinen and the company’s other management acquired Varesvuo Partners Oy from Talentum Corporation in January 2008. CapMan’s target together with the management is to build the company into a substantial independent production company in the Nordic region. The merger with Monster is the first strategic step to achieve the goal. Varesvuo Partners’ and Monster’s aggregate turnover is estimated to total approx. EUR 40 million in 2008.
“Both companies are very well positioned in their respective countries, and as a group we are in a strong position to respond to the challenges in the internationalising content market. We are looking forward to start building the future together with Monster as it is Norway’s leading production company and we share common values and passions.” says Roope Lehtinen, CEO of Varesvuo.
“We’re extremely pleased about becoming a part of the new Nordic group. Our Nordic footprint will enable us to better serve and attract clients on a pan-Nordic basis and enable us to further develop Monster and the group’s initiatives. With the support of CapMan’s active ownership, we will continue to strengthen our position strategically, financially and industrially and exploit both Nordic and international possibilities,” says Monster’s co-founder and CEO Olav Øen.
”We share a common vision with the management to build the new group into a substantial independent production company in the Nordic countries. We believe that content will grow further in importance in the rapidly evolving media sector, and that the new group has excellent prerequisites to gain clientele on the Nordic level. Both Varesvuo and Monster are trailblazers in their respective markets.” says Olli Liitola, CapMan’s Senior Partner and Chairman of the Board of the new group.
The add-on investment in the new company is made by CapMan Buyout VIII fund in which CapMan Plc is a substantial investor. CapMan funds will hold a majority in the new company and the group’s management the remainder.
Bertel O. Steen acquires AK Maskiner
Bertel O. Steen acquires AK Maskiner AS, one of the leading suppliers of agricultural machinery. AK Maskiner has a strong market position, with brands such as Case IH and New Holland, and with its nationwide network of distributors provides a solid platform for Bertel O. Steen’s commitment to the agricultural market.
A-C Maskiner was founded in 1961. From the start with 10 employees and annual sales of NOK 4 million, the company has developed into a major distributor of agricultural machinery, tractors and equipment. The company had a turnover of around NOK 1.2 billion in 2007 and has approx. 370 employees. AK Manskiner has a well-developed network of resellers and is a complete equipment supplier to the Norwegian agricultural sector.
About Bertel O. Steen
Bertel O. Steen is part of one of the largest privately held group of companies in Norway. The group is engaged in 3 main areas: Car import (Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Smart, Daihatsu, Kia, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge), real estate and industry. Bertel O. Steen has long traditions within the sport and leisure sector, and is amongst other the exclusive distributor of Asics in Scandinavia.
Cura Consulting sold to Relacom
Press release from Relacom:
Founded in 2000, Cura provides consulting services related to mobile and fixed networks and has unique specialist competencies in such areas as site acquisition, radio and training. Combined with Relacom’s global presence and experience, Cura’s competencies mean that Relacom is now able to offer customers comprehensive solutions related to network planning and construction, operation and maintenance. Cura’s establishment in Indonesia allows for this concept to be offered on a broad scale, with Relacom operating in Indonesia and an additional 16 other countries.
”The merger with Relacom means we are able to make wider use of our unique competencies across a number of markets”, relates Cura CEO Lasse Bjørgan.
Currently employing 2,500 staff, the acquisition will allow Relacom Norway to offer a broader range of services to both existing and prospective customers.
”At present we’re very strong in the fields of network installation and maintenance. This deal and Cura’s expertise mean we will now be able to offer our customers comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for all their networking needs”, explains Stein Martinsen, Head of the Nordic Region at Relacom.
Lebara Norway sold to Network Norway
Network Norway acquires Lebara Internationals Norwegian operation to fund Lebara’s international expansion.
Lebara is an MVNO with a leading position within low-cost international calls and was founded in 2001 by Leon R. Ranjith, Baskaran Kandiah and Ratheesan Yoganathan who shared a vision to transform the international calling market, making it easier for migrant communities to stay in touch with friends and family back home.
Inspired by the imposing sight of the Telenor building on the road to Bergen airport, the three partners made it their mission to build a company that would represent a range of different communities and would last for a generation.
Today Lebara is one of the world’s fastest growing mobile companies with more than 3 million customers, 1400 employees worldwide, operations in eight countries and revenues for 2010 of €565 million.
Lebara has successfully replicated its business model and continues to grow year on year.
SmartPhones Telecom AS sold to Telenor
Press release from Telenor:
Telenor Business Norway has reached agreement with the owners of SmartPhones Telecom AS for the acquisition of the company. The acquisition strengthens Telenor’s expertise in mobile services and managed communication services in the Norwegian business market.
“We think it is becoming increasingly important for customers to deal with a supplier that not only delivers excellent telecommunications solutions, but also takes complete responsibility for the development, implementation and operation of services. That is what is meant by managed communication services in telecommunications, and it is our strategy to become the best provider of such comprehensive solutions in the corporate market. The acquisition of SmartPhones is a step in realizing this strategy for Norwegian business customers”, said Rolv-Erik Spilling, president and CEO of Telenor Business Norway.
SmartPhones is a Norwegian company that develops and sells complete solutions for mobility for business customers, solutions that are often also called “personal information management” and “mobile device management”. The company has experienced strong growth in recent years, and had in 2006 a turnover of NOK 22.5 million, with a profit of NOK 8.1 million. The largest shareholders in the company are the mobile phone distributor Dangaard and A. Wilhelmsen group, in addition to key employees of SmartPhones. SmartPhones Telecom AS is headquartered in Oslo.
“With Telenor as a new owner, everything is set for further significant expansion for SmartPhones in the market for mobile solutions – both in Norway and other Nordic countries. Our focus is to offer the best mobility solutions and expertise through a strong distribution network, and we will continue going forward with Telenor as a new owner. Our goal is to make the mobile phone into an effective and useful tool than classical voice communications for both businesses and employees”, says CEO Maria Ursin in SmartPhones.
Telenor wants SmartPhones to continue as a separate entity, and wants to expand the business in collaboration with the talented employees of the company. The acquisition is subject to approval by the Competition Authority.
ABEO sold to Acando
Press release Acando:
Acando acquires the Norwegian IT company Abeo, and thereby grows within Europe.
Acando AB has signed an agreement for the purchase of all shares in the Norwegian IT consultancy company Abeo. The acquisition implies that Acando becomes established in Norway and strengthens its position as a leading IT and management consulting company in Northern Europe.
Abeo AS employs 85 people with experience and knowledge within strategy, project management, architecture, integration and systems development. Abeo’s forecasted sales for 2007 are NOK 100 million, with good profitability.
“We are proud and pleased to be able to present Abeo as Acando’s consultants in Norway. The acquisition is a natural step towards our goal to offer IT and management services to companies in Northern Europe. With the acquisition of Abeo, we obtain a stable position in the Norwegian market and many fine customers. We now cover the overall Scandinavian market, and with our international consultancy team offer a comprehensive alternative to companies active in the Nordic region,” says Lars Wollung, CEO of Acando AB.
Abeo has offices in Oslo and Trondheim and is market leader within the healthcare sector in Norway. The Acando Group thereby directly obtains a solid experience-bank from assignments within this sector, which can now be further developed. Abeo also holds a strong position within the public sector, banking and finance. The customer database also includes Norwegian private clients such as Lindbak, Thales and Vetco.
“With its size, geographic presence and culture, Abeo AS is a company that suits Acando strategically extremely well. Its activities are similar to and supplement Acando’s, and we see considerable opportunities to develop our offer and customers,” says Christer Norrman, Group Vice President and responsible for Acando’s international operations.
“Abeo is very positive about becoming part of the Acando Group and to thereby broaden the offer to our Norwegian customers with ERP solutions from Microsoft and SAP. We will be able to supply large projects through existing international resources, such as by near-shoring systems development to Acando’s subsidiary Webmedia in the Baltic Region,” says Aasmund Frøseth, CEO of Abeo AS.
Abeo will continue to work as an individual company with its current management team, and with Aasmund Frøseth as CEO.
An initial purchase price of NOK 49 million will be paid for Abeo AS. The balance sheet contains cash and cash equivalents for approximately NOK 26 million. Furthermore, there is an additional purchase (earn-out) consideration spread over the next two years. The addition consideration is based entirely on profits and is anticipated to give NOK 40-50 million provided the Norwegian operations achieve good growth.
Flisekompaniet sold to True North Capital and Ernström gruppen
True North Capital and Ernströmgruppen acquires 100% of the shares in Flisekompaniet.
Flisekompaniet is a leading Norwegian retailer of ceramic tiles and related products. The company’s first retail outlet at Skøyen was incorporated in 1979. Flisekompaniet remained as a single outlet until 1996, when it opened its first franchise retail outlets and expanded to a retail chain.
Today Flisekompaniet has retail outlets in Oslo, Tromsø, Alta, Sortland, Trondheim, Molde, Ålesund, Førde, Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger, Kragerø, Fredrikstad, Kongsberg, Hønefoss, Sotra, Lillehammer, Moss, Ski, Skårer, Drammen og Steinkjer.
eJournal sold to SuperOffice
SuperOffice acquires 100% of the shares in eJournal.
eJournal is a Norwegian software company providing ticket based customer service applications. The customer base exists of larger consumer oriented companies within insurance, financial services, travel, etc. Some of their key customers are Norwegian, SEB, Hafslund and Gjensidige.
Opplysningen 1881 acquires Catch Communications
Opplysningen 1881 acquires 100% of the shares in Carrot Communications from Kistefos.
Carrot is a provider and operator of Telecom Services for Call Management and Mobile Services. The services are provided based on Carrot’s Voice and Messaging platform, offering Telecom Services distributed through fixed, mobile and IP networks.
About Opplysningen
At the core of Opplysningen’s operations is the Opplysningen database with millions of entries. Names, addresses, telephone numbers and company information are available for all communication channels.
The company wants to delight customers with innovative products, services with fresh content, and accessibility for all channels as well as moving forward from traditional telephone number directory services to search engine and information operations. This means a variety of innovative and interesting services on the phone, internet and mobile internet, WAP, SMS and iPhone.
A stable operating environment and rapid response times provide high quality, relevant searches, thus providing a high level of customer satisfaction.