Charterhouse's Webhelp picks up SNT

Ellie Pullen
11 February 2014

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Charterhouse-backed Webhelp Group, a French provider of customer management solutions, has acquired Dutch customer contact services provider SNT.

The company will be renamed Webhelp SNT following the acquisition. It was purchased by Webhelp to bolster the French firm's presence in the Dutch market. SNT will retain its Netherlands headquarters in Amersfoort.

The deal is the second acquisition made by Webhelp in the last 12 months. The firm previously acquired UK-based HeroTSC (now Webhelp UK) in February last year.

Previous funding
The company has a somewhat lengthy history with private equity. It first received early-stage funding in June 2001 from Alven Capital, Turenne Capital Partenaires, Europ@Web and Avenir Finance Gestion (now Promelys Participations). The four investors supplied €10.6m, according to unquote" data.

Webhelp was then acquired by Equistone Partners Europe (then Barclays Private Equity) with participation from its existing investors in December 2005. The deal valued the company at €82m and included a senior debt package provided by Bank of Ireland.

In June 2007, Astorg Partners acquired the business via its Astorg III fund. All previous shareholders as well as Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur took part in the deal, according to unquote" data. The transaction was valued at around €200m and included a €29m mezzanine facility and €84m senior debt package provided by Bank of Ireland.

Astorg and Equistone then sold Webhelp to Charterhouse in June 2011, in a deal valuing the company at €340m. Charterhouse backed the company via its Charterhouse Capital Partners IX fund, which closed in March 2009 on €4bn.

Company
Founded in 2000, Webhelp is headquartered in France with additional offices in the UK, Belgium, Morocco, Romania, Algeria, South Africa and Madagascar. The business employs 18,000 staff across its 37 locations and records annual revenues of €370m.

Founded in 1985, SNT is headquartered in Amersfoort with additional local offices in Amsterdam, Ede, Tilburg, Groningen and Zoetermeer, as well as an international office located in Paramaribo in Suriname.

SNT provides outsourcing services for multi-channel customer contacts, designed to ensure clients build and maintain relationships with customers. The company employs 3,500 staff. Its revenues have doubled over the last five years to reach €77m.

People
Frédéric Jousset is the co-founder and chairman of Webhelp, while Gert-Jan Morsink is the CEO of SNT and the newly named Webhelp SNT. Morsink is also taking up a position on Webhelp's board of directors.