Inflexion-backed Kynetec bolts on Kleffmann

The firm provided fresh equity for the acquisition of a majority stake, using its Inflexion Buyout Fund IV, which closed on £650m in 2014.

Inflexion carved out the animal and crop health business of GFK, a market research company, in 2015. The business delivered sales of $41m that year. Kynetec secured refinancing from Lloyds Bank to free up capital to allow the company to invest in international expansion and product development in 2017.

Since Inflexion first invested, the company has made several acquisitions, including US-based Ipsos in 2016, Belgium-based Market Probe Agriculture and Animal Health in 2017, and Australia-based Neil Clark & Associates and Belgium-based JTL in 2019.

The combined company will employ 950 people in 30 countries, with the market research team of the Kleffmann group joining Kynetec. The companies will continue to operate separately. Burkhard Kleffmann, Kleffmann's former main shareholder and CEO, has left the company.

Previous funding
Nord Holding invested in Kleffmann in 2012. The company is no longer part of the investor's portfolio.

Company
Founded in 1990, and based in Lüdinghausen, Kleffmann offers market research tools such as case studies and panel surveys for the agriculture sector. The market research business employs more than 300 people and operates 18 subsidiaries globally.

People
Inflexion Private Equity – Mark Williams (partner); Nick Rosenberg (assistant director); Sam McPhail (investment executive).
Kynetec – Daniel Wirth, Richard Jameson (chief operating officers).

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• Topics
• Expansion
• DACH
• Support services
• Inflexion Private Equity
• Buy-and-build
• Build-up
• Nord Holding
• Germany
• United Kingdom