The Kempen European Private Equity Fund, the private equity investment fund of Kempen Capital Management (Kempen), has acquired a direct interest in the German group of opticians and audiologists Ounda, which currently operates 65 branches across Germany and targets the high-end segment of the opticians’ and audiologists’ market.
Ounda was founded in 2020 and has since then grown into a group of 65 opticians’ and audiologists’ branches across Germany. The group currently employs over 400 people. The management team of Ounda has ample experience in the opticians’ and audiologists’ market, and every branch employs at least one qualified optician.
Sven Smeets, Managing Director of Kempen Private Markets, says: “Ounda is a new group of individual opticians and audiologists who operate in the high-end segment under the motto of ‘small is beautiful’. As the founders/owners continue to run their own branches as shop managers, the branches each retain their unique identity and maintain the high level of their customer service for which they are known. At the same time, purchasing, accounting, marketing, and HR are centralised and professionalised, allowing them to achieve significant benefits of scale.”
Bram Bikker, Director of Kempen Private Markets, says: “In addition, we consider the opticians’ and audiologists’ market to be a relatively robust market segment that is less susceptible to economic cycles. We take pride in the fact that the investors in our fund will have access to such a magnificent company.”
Read more/Source: Private Equity Wire
