Proventis Partners advised Castik Capital-backed Customs Support Group on the acquisition of First Class Zollservice

Hamburg, January 2, 2021 – One of Europe’s leading customs agencies, Customs Support Group B.V., acquired First Class Zollservice & Transportvermittlungs GmbH (“FCZ”), strengthening its market position in customs services within the German airfreight sector.

The Transaction

Customs Support, the independent and dynamic partner for customs matters in Europe, announces the acquisition of FCZ. Customs Support aims to become the leading digital and neutral customs broker in Europe. This acquisition strengthens the presence of Customs Support throughout Europe and gives the group an excellent position at Frankfurt Airport and in the customs-related air freight sector.

“In our ambition to be the best customs broker in Europe, we are very happy with this addition and welcome the team to our family. First Class Zollservice is a great fit in serving our customers better and further strengthens our network, gives us access to new talents and provides better coverage for our relations”, says Frank Weermeijer, CEO of Customs Support Group.

The Role of Proventis Partners

Proventis Partners has supported Customs Support as exclusive M&A advisor in the expansion in Germany for several years now. The acquisition of FCZ is the fourth successful acquisition and further transactions are to follow. In addition to identifying the customs agency and contacting its shareholders, Proventis Partners carried out the strategic analysis of the target company and guided the further transaction process from due diligence and commercial negotiation to the successful execution. The Proventis Partners transaction team: Jost Hartmann (Partner, Hamburg) und Timo Stahlbuhk (Director, Hamburg).

About First Class Zollservice

FCZ, with six locations in the Frankfurt/Main area as well as Hamburg, Germany, is a full-service customs provider with focus on the airfreight sector, and reliably and punctually delivers customer-oriented solutions. The company was founded in 1992 and has grown through its core customs offering as well as ancillary services like academy, consultancy, and border-related security services such as x-ray scanning. FCZ is AEO and ISO9001 certified. The services are a valuable addition to Customs Support’s portfolio of services.

About Customs Support

Customs Support is the neutral and dynamic partner for customs matters in Europe. A fast-growing company that stands for knowledge, speed and efficient and digital customs solutions. Every day, more than 500 customs specialists and 100 Brexit experts are ready to take care of customs matters for a vast range of companies. With many offices at logistic hotspots throughout Europe, the company can offer customers a broad geographical coverage. For more information, please visit https://customssupport.com/

About Castik Capital

Founded in 2014, Castik Capital focuses on identifying and developing investment opportunities across Europe. The investments are made by the Luxembourg based EPIC funds. The first fund, EPIC I, has a volume of €1 billion and was raised in 2014/2015. The second fund, EPIC II, had its final close in October 2020 and a volume of €1.25 billion. The Castik employees have extensive knowledge and experience in the Private Equity markets, with a team that has been actively investing in transactions for over 25 years. The advisor to Castik Capital is Castik Capital Partners GmbH, based in Munich. For more information about Castik Capital, please visit https://www.castik.com/

About Proventis Partners

Proventis Partners is a partner-managed M&A advisory firm whose clients include a majority of medium-sized family-owned companies, group subsidiaries as well as private equity funds. With more than 30 M&A advisors, Proventis Partners is one of the largest independent M&A advisors in the German-speaking region and looks back on 20 years of M&A experience and more than 300 completed transactions. The M&A consultants with offices in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Zurich are active in the sectors Industrials & Chemicals, Business Services, Consumer & Retail, TMT, Healthcare and Energy & Sustainability. The exclusive membership in Mergers Alliance – an international partnership of leading M&A specialists – enables Proventis Partners to support clients in 30 countries in the most important markets worldwide. The members of Mergers Alliance, with over 200 M&A professionals, provide Proventis Partners and thus its clients with unique access to local markets in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa.