Acquisition of the majority shareholding in EUROPART Polska
Hagen/Wielun, 15/01/2013. EUROPART is expanding its presence in one of the largest European transport markets. The European market leader in the trade of spare parts for commercial vehicles and workshop supplies today acquired the majority of shares in the joint company EUROPART Polska SA, which were previously held by its joint venture partner. Today, at the Polish headquarters in Wielun, Pierre Fleck, CEO of the EUROPART Group, along with the Polish national manager and joint venture partner, Karol Prozner, announced the acquisition of the company, which was founded in 2008 as a joint venture in which both partners held fifty per cent.
Karol Prozner will continue to be associated with the subsidiary as a minority shareholder, and using his expertise and knowledge of the country, will continue to be involved in the management of the company. At the signing of the contract and announcement, both parties judged the acquisition to be a clear sign of the excellent partnership between EUROPART and the Prozner family.
At the employees‘ meeting held today in Wielun to mark the acquisition, Pierre Fleck welcomed approximately 100 employees of the Polish subsidiary, who are now, thanks to the acquisition, fully fledged employees of the EUROPART Group. Pierre Fleck: „I am convinced that the full integration of the Polish subsidiary will be a complete success. This acquisition will develop the company’s synergies far beyond the Polish borders.“
Poland plays a central role in the new EUROPART strategy. The acquisition of the shares in the Polish joint venture partner is a clear example of this. The synergy resulting from the acquisition will strengthen EUROPART’s market position not only in Poland, but also in several of its neighbouring countries. German sales areas close to the border will therefore benefit from the logistics of the Polish subsidiaries in the border region. This will further improve customer service in Germany. The Polish acquisition will also have a positive impact on the EUROPART subsidiaries in the Baltic States and the Czech Republic where, thanks to their proximity to Polish distribution centres, branches and customers will be able to receive products tailored to the regional market more quickly. Secondly, EUROPART will benefit from an increase in the central purchasing volume as well as from an optimisation of logistics operations from the full integration of the Polish subsidiary.
EUROPART CEO Pierre Fleck added: „Poland is only the first acquisition made by EUROPART since it was taken over by the new owners Triton and Paragon. We are determined to continue on this path towards growth and look for further profitable investment opportunities. Our industry will continue to move towards consolidation, a process which EUROPART, as the market leader in the European trade of spare parts for commercial vehicles, will help to form.“ Thanks to its pan-European network, EUROPART has a unique profile in today’s overall market. We will continue to expand and reinforce this profile in close cooperation with and for the benefit of our European customers.“
EUROPART in Poland
In addition to the country headquarters in Wielun, EUROPART is currently represented in Poland in a further 23 locations. In 2012, the company recorded a turnover of around 26 million euros and is one of Poland’s leading dealers in spare parts for commercial vehicles. The company originally started out trading replacement parts for trucks and trailers. Since 2008, the Polish company has become a technical expert for trucks and trailers through its connection with the Hagener EUROPART Group.
EUROPART is the leading dealer in spare parts and accessories for commercial vehicles, buses and special vehicles in Europe. Moreover, EUROPART provides a wide range of products of workshop equipment for its main client groups such as workshop clients, shipping and fleet companies including all fields of chemical equipment, workshop equipment and facilities, fastening equipment, job safety facilities for the everyday business operation.
Since 2011 EUROPART is owned by Triton and Paragon. Triton is specialized on investments of leading medium sized companies in German speaking countries and Northern Europe.
In 2011, the EUROPART Group’s annual sales totalled around EUR 420 million.
Kontakt:
EUROPART Trading GmbH
Anna Pasternak
Martinstraße 13
58135 Hagen-Haspe
0049(0)233135645218
am.pasternak@europart.net
http://www.europart.net/