Mid Europa acquires majority stake in JS Hamilton

The CEE-focused private equity house will partner with the company's founder, who will remain involved in the business.

The EV of JS Hamilton is in the €100-200m range and the transaction was completed as a bilateral proprietory deal, Mid Europa co-managing partner Matthew Strassberg told Unquote.

It took nearly two years of extended discussions with the founder, who was aiming to grow the company during that time, and delivered on some of that growth before sealing a deal with Mid Europa.

With the fresh capital, the firm intends to support JS Hamilton's management to broaden its service portfolio and expand its customer base through expansion, both domestic and internationally.

The deal marks Mid Europa's ninth platform investment in Poland to date. The GP is currently investing from its Mid Europa IV fund, which held a final close on €800m in August 2014.

Subject to customary clearance by anti-trust authorities, the transaction is expected to close in Q3 2018.

Company
Established in 1949 as a government-run laboratory, JS Hamilton is headquartered in Gdynia, Poland, and is a group of companies providing inspection and analysis services for traders, retailers, producers, industry, transport, distribution and storage businesses.

The company operates 13 laboratories across Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania.

People
JS Hamilton – Jan Olszowski (founder).
Mid Europa – Matthew Strassberg (co-managing partner); Pawel Padusinski (partner).

Advisers
Acquirer – White & Case (legal); OC&C (commercial due diligence); EY (financial due diligence, tax); Fera (IT due diligence).

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Buyouts
• CEE
• Support services
• Poland
• Mid Europa Partners