Kiloutou SAS (headquartered in Marcq En Baroeul, France) completed the acquisition of STARLIFT GmbH (headquartered in Hamburg, Germany) from its 100% shareholder and founder, Hans-Dieter Kark.
With a fleet of c. 750 access platforms, STARLIFT is one of the leading rental companies for powered access equipment in Northern Germany. KILOUTOU is the fourth largest European rental company offering a very broad range of rental equipment (including a.o. access platforms). KILOUTOU generated revenues of EUR 462m in 2015 and employs more than 3,500 people. It has started its international expansion with the acquisition of some smaller companies in Poland and Spain. Next to further developing these markets, the company views the German market, which is the third largest rental market in Europe, as highly important for its further development.
Over the last few years, STARLIFT achieved continuous growth well exceeding average industry profitability. In order to pave the way for further growth the owner decided to sell the company to a larger strategic partner. KILOUTOU found in STARLIFT an excellent opportunity to enter the German market by acquiring a highly reputable and profitable platform.
CASE Corporate Finance / ABN AMRO acted as sole financial adviser to the owner of STARLIFT, thereby leveraging the team’s knowledge of the equipment rental services market with its cross-border expertise. This deal is another example of the excellent cooperation between CASE Corporate Finance and ABN AMRO.