Proventis Partners advised Mentha Capital and Customs Support on the acquisition of the Kunow Group

Hamburg, January 7, 2020 – One of Europe’s leading customs agencies Customs Support Group has successfully acquired Speditions-Kontor Gotthold Kunow GmbH & Co. KG and its associated companies (“Kunow Group”), completing the 16th add-on acquisition in Europe and the third in Germany.

The Transaction

As part of a stringent pan-European buy-and-build strategy, Customs Support Group B.V., a portfolio company of Mentha Capital, acquired Kunow Group, effectively doubling its business presence in the German market and adding operations in Poland as well as an extensive cooperation network in Eastern Europe. For Customs Support, this acquisition is yet another important milestone on its pathway to becoming the leading neutral customs agency in Europe and thus providing cross-border support for customers across the continent. At the same time, an ideal succession solution was implemented for the shareholders of Kunow Group and the positive future development of the company as well as its employees was secured with a strong strategic partner.

The Role of Proventis Partners

Proventis Partners has been supporting Mentha Capital and Customs Support as exclusive M&A advisor in the expansion in Germany for several years. The acquisition of Kunow Group is the third 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.

About Kunow Group

The Kunow Group was founded in Helmstedt in 1947 and specializes in East-West traffic. The company quickly established itself as the market leader in East-West traffic and the corresponding customs clearance. Today, the Kunow Group employs around 80 people, 60 of whom are represented at eight locations in Germany and 20 at five locations in Poland. Moreover, the extensive network of cooperation partners in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Swit- zerland and Belarus, enables the company to service its customers internationally.

About Customs Support

Customs Support is one of the leading neutral customs agencies in Europe and offers complete solutions in the area of customs services for industrial and logistics companies. Customs Support offers its clients support in handling Customs formalities within as well as outside the European Union.
The company has grown organically as well as via 16 strategic add-on acquisitions and intends to become the leading independent customs service provider in Europe. With over 300 employees, all kinds of im- port, export and transit documents, as well as limited fiscal representation are processed in own offices in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Poland as well as through a comprehensive partner network in further European countries.

About Mentha Capital

Mentha Capital is an independent private equity firm active in the lower end of the mid-market in the Netherlands and Flanders. It invests in established, mid-sized and profitable companies with clear opportunities for growth along multiple avenues, such as organic growth, expansion in new markets or a buy-and-build approach. The entrepreneurial team of investment professionals, with solid financial and corpo- rate business experience, likes to team up with the management to jointly realize ambitious business plans.

About Proventis Partners

Proventis Partners is a partner-managed M&A advisory firm whose clients include mainly corporate groups, medium-sized family businesses and private equity funds. With 30 professionals, Proventis Partners is active in the sectors Industrials, Business Services, Consumer & Retail, TMT, Healthcare and Energy and covers the German-speaking region with offices in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Zurich. Through its exclusive membership in Mergers Alliance – the international partnership of leading M&A specialists – Proventis Partners offers local market coverage in the 30 most important economies globally. The 20 members of the Mergers Alliance, with more than 200 M&A professionals, offer Proventis Partners and our client’s unique access to local markets in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa.