Rantum portfolio company Aqua Group expands its geographical coverage through acquisition of Scherer Südbaden GmbH
- Scherer, headquartered in Freiburg i. Br., is a leading water and fire damage restoration company in the region of South Baden
- Optimal regional expansion of the group in southwestern Germany with access to neighboring regions
- Further value creation potential through exchange of best practices and complementary customer portfolio
In August 2021, Rantum Private Equity Fund II acquired a majority stake in A. B. T Anlagen- und Bautrocknungs GmbH (“ABT”), headquartered in Langgöns/Hessen, a leading water and fire damage restoration company in the Rhine-Main region. ABT serves as a buy & build platform for the development of a cross-regional group of companies in this sector, the Aqua Group.
Scherer Südbaden GmbH (“Scherer”), headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau, is a leading water and fire damage restoration company in the Baden area from Karlsruhe to Lörrach. Since its foundation in 1931, Scherer has developed into a full-service provider with a high degree of vertical integration and long-standing customer relationships. In recent years, the company has been able to achieve organic growth and strategically diversify its customer portfolio.
Hartwig Finger, Managing Director of Aqua Group: “Scherer is the perfect addition to our group. Like ABT, the company has a strong culture, a motivated team and a high focus on quality and customer satisfaction. Through the acquisition, we are now able to offer our services across the regions from Lörrach in the southwest to Erfurt in central Germany.”
Georg Scherer, former managing owner of Scherer, adds: “Over the past few months, my senior employees and I have built a trustful relationship with Aqua Group and Rantum. I’ve thought deeply about the succession of our family business, and I’m convinced that Aqua Group and its owner Rantum Capital are the perfect home for my company and my employees.”
Aqua Group and Rantum were legally advised on the transaction by Ebner Stolz (Dr. Roderich Fischer, Holger Beck). Acquisition financing was provided by Hypo Vorarlberg (Tobias Schaar, Rainer Terwart). Law firm Ashurst (Dr. Matthias Weissinger, Ariana Fazlic) legally advised Aqua Group and Rantum on the financing of the transaction.
