Gilde acquires Royal Swets and Zeitlinger

Dutch investment firm, Gilde Buy Out Partners, has bought Royal Swets and Zeitlinger for an undisclosed sum. The subscription agent’s shareholders agreed to sell 100 per cent of the shares in the company to Gilde, with participation from Swets’ executive management.

According to Swets and Zeitlinger, the move follows several years of strong performance leaving the business ‘well positioned’ for long term growth. 'We are immensely impressed with how Arie Jongejan, Swets’ chief executive, and his team turned the company around to its current state of robust financial health,' said Roelof Prins of NPM Capital, one of Swets' major institutional shareholders.

Jongejan added: 'Swets has entered a new phase in which it is driving an aggressive growth strategy which involves geographic expansion and large scale sales force.'

'We [also] aim to further expand the business in both new and existing markets, and with new services,' said Boudewijn Molenaar, managing director of Gilde Buy Out Partners.