KKR's Webhelp bolts on Sellbytel

Sellbytel was previously wholly owned by US-based Omnicom Group. By integrating Sellbytel, Webhelp will expand its geographic footprint in Europe and forecasts a turnover of €1.3bn for 2018.

Webhelp aims to continue growing both organically and through acquisitions over the coming years.

Founded in 2000, Paris-based Webhelp is a customer management service operating digital, social, mobile and traditional voice channels. The company employs 35,000 people. Webhelp posted revenues of €725m in 2016.

KKR bought Webhelp in 2015 from Charterhouse Capital Partners. Press reports that emerged leading up to the sale had suggested that the company would attract bids of around €1bn.

The deal saw Webhelp's management team become controlling shareholders alongside KKR. KKR invested via its European Fund IV, closed on €3.3bn in 2015. According to Unquote sister publication Debtwire, a consortium of banks including Deutsche Bank, Nomura, Citi, HSBC, Mizuho and UBS arranged a debt package of €640m to support the deal.

Company
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Nuremberg, Sellbytel is a provider of outsourced sales, services and support, and has operations in 28 centres across Spain, Germany, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Malaysia. As of 2015, the business had a headcount of 8,000.

People
Webhelp – Olivier Duha, Frederic Jousset (co-founders). 
Sellbytel Group – Michael Raum (founder). 

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