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Trixxo Home acquires Assist@Home

Common Ground Corporate Finance is happy to announce the successful acquisition of Assist@home by Trixxo Home.

Common Ground acted as the corporate finance advisor for Trixxo. Trixxo Home is one of the largest “service cheque” companies in Belgium, providing household services to more than 55.000 families. “Common Ground has assisted us over the last two years with several acquisitions in the three Belgian regions based on a pro-active screening of the market and following up on potential opportunities in an organized and efficient way. So far, the acquisition of Assist@Home is one of the largest and most important acquisitions for us over these last years” says Luc Jeurissen, owner of Trixxo Group.

Assist@Home was part of Dutch family company Vebego International and due to a re-orientation of its strategy, “service cheque” activities were no longer core. Assist@Home (and daughter company De Mangelaar) run 24 offices in Flanders, employing almost 1.000 household helps all of them which will become part of the larger Trixxo family.

Trixxo started its activities in 2005 and has since grown into one of the largest actors in this market, thanks to a healthy, respectful and stimulating environment for clients and employees. As well organically as through external growth, Trixxo Home continues to play its role as active consolidator in this market and has the ambition to further grow its presence in Belgium.

For more information: Koen Vanclooster + 32 475 76 52 73

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Common Ground advises zZoomer (B) on the sale to Greenmo (Nl)

On the sell side, Common Ground assisted zZoomer (B) to join forces with Greenmo (Nl), a Rabo Corporate Investments portfolio company. zZoomer is a young start-up active active in the leasing of electrified scooters and bikes. The main target is the food delivery sector, sustainable mobility solutions to B2B clients complete the offering. Being part of Greenmo, zZoomer will be able to accelerate its growth strategy, while leveraging on Greenmo’s experience and best practices. Both companies have built leading positions in their respective home markets.

“While we were already in contact with Greenmo, Common Ground’s expertise guaranteed a smooth process; their structuring skills helped us to maximize our interest and create a future proof growth platform”, says Toon Donné, CEO and shareholder of zZoomer.

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Common Ground advises TRG (Nl) on the acquisition of Novid (B)

On the buy side, Common Ground assisted The Rental Group (Nl), a Capital-A portfolio company, to complete the acquisition of Novid (B). The Rental Group is active in the professional events industry and through this acquisition, the group acquires a unique and leading position in the Benelux. Common Ground acted as the Corporate Finance advisor for The Rental Group.

“Common Ground’s broad network and persistence/determination in the process were essential to position us as the best strategic option to the sellers and structure a well balanced transaction” says Jan van Dijk, CEO of The Rental Group.

Verelst

Verelst Group successfully raises 4 Million Euro of Mezzanine debt to finance its real estate development activity.

Common Ground Corporate Finance successfully raises 4 Million Euro of Mezzanine debt to finance the residential real estate development activity of the Verelst Group, named Verelst Projectontwikkeling.

The Verelst Group is a long existing Belgian based Group active both as Contractor and Real Estate Project Developer. As a Contractor, the Verelst Group executes a large range of construction types from start to finish with a team of dedicated professionals. The residential real estate Project Development segment of the Group was established in 2015, focusing on sustainable real estate Project Developments. It benefits from experienced developers and the long-standing construction expertise of the Group itself. Between 2015 and 2018, the real estate portfolio was progressively built up towards the current portfolio amounting to 70 Million Euro.

Common Ground Corporate Finance closed the financing round with the Belgian insurer Integrale.

Mr. Michael Van Beersel, Head of Verelst Projectontwikkeling and Mr. Maarten Van Breusegem, CFO of Verelst Group say: “The financial strength gained through this financing round offers us the opportunity to envisage the future of our real estate development division with a lot of confidence. With Integrale as a financing partner, we now have an active and supportive investor on board, contributing substantially to our current pipeline of projects and supporting our further development.”

Mr. Julien Dessart, CFO of Integrale (specialized in occupational and private pensions) says “We have been approached to support this exciting real estate development project. Both the expertise of the team involved and the long-standing reputation of the Verelst Group have led us to conclude that this was the right project to support and finance. We have been impressed by the quality of the projects and we are proud to be part of it. We’d like to thank Common Ground for introducing Integrale to this transaction”.

About Integrale
With almost 6,000 corporate clients and more than 160,000 affiliates in the three regions of the country, Integrale specializes in supplementary pensions. Founded more than 90 years ago, its core business is offering and managing group insurances to businesses by offering tailored solutions. Integrale also offers individuals traditional life insurance products with guaranteed performance (branch 21) and linked to investment funds (branch 23).  www.integrale.be

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DC Corporate Finance and Common Ground Corporate Finance successfully raise 53 Million Euro to finance the Renasci Waste Recycling project.

Renasci® is a Belgium based integrated Industrial Waste Recycling and Revaluation Project that offers an integrated solution for global challenges related to waste and biomass management. To this end, the company has developed the Smart Chain Processing® concept, a combination of existing and new technologies that allows the processing of complex waste streams with maximum raw materials and energy recovery. Recyclable products (plastics, paper/card, metals) will automatically be sorted and conditioned for re-use, while non-recyclable materials are converted into marketable end products such as diesel fuel, bio-coal pellets and inerts that can be used as filler in construction materials. A pilot plant based on this concept, with a yearly capacity of 120.000 tonnes, will be built in Oostende, Belgium and will be operational by the end of 2019.

Common Ground Corporate Finance and DC Corporate Finance jointly closed the financing round with the bank BNPParibasFortis, the Belgian insurer Integrale and various private investors.

Luc Desender, CEO of Renasci said: “The financial strength and valuable international network that we have gained through this financing round now offers us the opportunity to develop the full potential of our technology and people. With BNP Paribas Fortis, Integrale and the various private investors selected, we now have active and supportive investors on board that can contribute substantially to our Belgian project and pave the way for future expansions elsewhere in Europe and in the rest of the world”.

Mr. Beaupain, CFO of Integrale (specialized in occupational and private pensions) said “We have been approached to support this exciting and innovative project. Both the ecological need to improve the environment, the technology developed and the quality of the team have lead us to conclude that this was the right project to support and finance. We have been impressed by this challenging project and are proud to be part of it. We’d like to thank Common Ground for introducing Integrale to this transaction”.

Capricorn

Common Ground introduces Capricorn Venture Partners in “c-LEcta”

c-LEcta, a German-based world-leading biotechnology company focused on enzyme engineering and applications in regulated markets like food and pharma, has closed a financing round with Leuven based Capricorn Venture Partners and the German investment company bm|t. The capital increase was advised by CatCap, the German Globalscope alliance partner of Common Ground.

Common Ground introduced Capricorn as the lead investor for this transaction.

c-LEcta, located in Leipzig,  is focused on enzyme engineering and is a leading player in the realization of high-value biotech products, either in the form of in-house developments or in close cooperation with the industry. c-LEcta owns one of the most efficient technology platforms for enzyme optimization as well as for the development of artificial enzyme activities based on patent protected strategies. The industrial application of these technologies holds great market potential. The Company currently employs around 60 people and has a proven track record of more than 10 successfully commercialized high-value industrial biotech products.

c-LEcta CEO, Dr. Marc Struhalla: “The financial strength and valuable international network that we have gained through this financing round now offers us the opportunity to develop the full potential of our technology and people. With Capricorn Venture Partners and bm|t, we get two active investors on board that can contribute substantially to our international growth ambitions”.

Mr. Ludwig Goris, Investment Manager of Capricorn: “Since its foundation, c-Lecta has built up a remarkable track record of technology and product development and has been able to validate that through a growing customer base of pharma, chemical and food ingredient companies. We had been following the company for a while and are proud to lead this growth capital round. We’d like to thank Common Ground for introducing Capricorn to this transaction”.

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VINCI Energies acquires AVT Group

VINCI Energies acquires AVT Group, a leading provider of industrial automation and heavy load solutions

 Common Ground is happy to share the successful acquisition of AVT Group by VINCI Energies, the VINCI subsidiary (Euronext Paris: DG) specializing in energy, and information and communication technology. With this acquisition, VINCI Energies further strengthens its strategic position in the Belgian market. VINCIEnergies has a strong local presence and agile organisational structure with a revenue of €10.8 billion (2017) and 69,400 employees in 53 countries.

AVT Group is specialized in industrial automation (from robotic integration projects over factory automation to custom made machinery), in heavy load handling and logistic solutions for internal transport (from free moveable platforms to automatic guided vehicles on wheel, rail or air cushions) and in industrial electrical works (including the design, installation and commissioning of medium and high voltage cubicles).

The Group has headquarters in Essen near Antwerp, subsidiaries in Germany, China, France and The Netherlands and employs 65 employees.

CommonGround acted as the exclusive advisor to AVT Group.

“Common Ground listened to our specific needs and understood our unique positioning. Their broad experience and expertise in M&A deal structuring was very instrumental in finding a balanced and satisfying result. The network structure of VINCI Energies will enable AVT to accelerate growth ambitions both in Belgium and abroad”, says Luc Van Thillo, CEO and previous shareholder of AVT Group.

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ForFarmers acquires Voeders Algoet

ForFarmers strengthens position in Belgium by acquiring Voeders Algoet

Common Ground Corporate Finance is happy to share the successful acquisition of the Belgian feed company Voeders Algoet by ForFarmers (Euronext Amsterdam: FFARM). As a result, ForFarmers strengthens its position as feed company in Belgium with the offer of Total Feed solutions.

‘ForFarmers’ from Lochem in the Netherlands is an internationally operating feed group that offers total feed solutions for conventional and organic livestock farming. With sales of approximately 9.6 million tonnes of feed annually, ForFarmers is market leader in Europe. ForFarmers has approximately 2,300 employees and production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2017, revenues amounted to over €2.2 billion.

Voeders Algoet is a Belgian feed company that sells around 150,000 tonnes of compound feed to swine and ruminant farmers. In the split financial year (1 July to 30 June) 2016/2017 the company generated sales of around €40 million with an EBITDA of approximately €2 million. Voeders Algoet will be integrated into ForFarmers Belgium.

Common Ground acted as the corporate finance advisor to ForFarmers.

“Common Ground’s knowledge and wide network in the animal feed sector helped a lot in finding the target and in positioning ForFarmers as the right buyer for their business”. This acquisition fits into the consolidation that is needed for a healthy agricultural sector in Belgium in the long-term. This new combination becomes the second largest feed group in Belgium.” said Adrie van der Ven, COO, and responsible for the ForFarmers Belgium/Germany cluster and new regions.

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ILD raises 9,5 Million Euro for a Real Estate Project in Poland

Common Ground Corporate Finance is pleased to announce the successful raising of a 9,5 Million Euro bank debt financing for the Polish Real Estate affiliate of ILD.

Common Ground acted as the exclusive Corporate Finance advisor for ILD and its Polish Real Estate affiliate, Obild Sp. zoo. “Common Ground’s knowledge and experience of the international banking landscape was very instrumental to position Pekao Bank as the most suited banking partner in relation to this project and to set up a 9,5 Million Euro long term Construction and Investment Loan for this Real Estate Project of ILD in Poland, ” says Filip Vanelstraete, CFO of the ILD Group.

ILD Group (www.ild.eu) is a Belgium based industrial real estate developer with a significant expertise and experience in industrial development, more specifically in Central Europe and Poland. Although its recent development activities have been located more in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, it also has developed industrial facilities in Poland in 2010 for Greenyard Logistics (Univeg) in Buk (Poznan area) and for Teutonia in 2012 in Włocławek.

In 2017, ILD Group got a real estate development mandate from the Oschmann Group (Germany) to build a production plant and warehouse in Sulęcin (Poland) for the manufacturing of comfort beds and box spring mattresses. The 9,5 Million Euro Construction and Investment bank Loan will be used to finance the construction of these facilities .

invineo

The Invineo Project successfully increases its capital.

Common Ground Corporate Finance is pleased to announce the successful capital increase for the Invineo Project (as part of Bibmatic SA).

Common Ground acted as the corporate finance advisor for Bibmatic SA. “Common Ground’s knowledge and experience in the investor’s landscape was instrumental in helping us finding the right financial and industrial partners to support the extension of the Invineo / Bibmatic project and strategy, and to position Cinoco, SRIW and Namur Invest as the most suited equity investors to enhance the further development of the Invineo project” says Thierry Tacheny, CEO of Bibmatic SA, newly named “Invineo SA”.

The Invineo Project has developed an innovative (patented) and integrated wine-by-the-glass solution with a dedicated wine list, a smart wine dispenser and an exclusive packaging. Its aim is to meet the needs of the professionals in the hospitality business with a service that increases wine revenues and enhances customer experience when drinking wine on premises. (www.invineo.com)

With the proceeds of this capital increase, Invineo has the necessary means to test its service among selected markets and to develop the industrialization phase of its project. “We look forward to confirming our business model and preparing for the third stage of our financing: the one that will allow us to prepare for the commercial launch of our project” according to Thierry Tacheny.

Cinoco is a leading player in the Benelux market for the qualitative distribution in the wine and spirits sector.

SRIW and Namur Invest are key public players in the Walloon region to support the local economic development and employment and to take selective value added participations in established, start up or growing companies.