Swedish listed company Lifco takes majority share in Easy Life, pet care producer

DUIVEN, GELDERLAND, THE NETHERLANDS, December 6, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lifco Group, an acquirer and developer of market-leading niche businesses, trading on the Swedish stock exchange, has acquired a majority share in Easy Life, a reputed company from the Netherlands operating in the aquaristics business. This was announced by Marktlink Mergers & Acquisitions. Marktlink guided the owners throughout the transaction. The former owners will remain involved in the company for several years and will join Lifco Group in looking for suitable candidates to continue its management. The takeover of Easy Life is Lifco’s first transaction on the Dutch market.

Easy Life is a reputed brand in the aquarium products sector and well known for its innovative and high-quality products for aquariums and ponds, in the categories of water treatment, plant food and fish health. Shareholders and present owners Jan Laugeman and Toon Vermeule spotted a hole in the market in 1998, and began developing, producing and selling natural-based water-treatment products. Easy Life’s success is down to high-performing product innovations by Laugeman and Vermeule, which have earned them several awards. Thanks to the strong reputation and good quality of Easy Life products, the organisation now exports to over 45 countries. Easy Life supplies products to the retail sector via wholesalers and distributors.

Laugeman and Vermeule have built a strong foundation since setting up Easy Life in 1998. Together with Marktlink Mergers & Acquisitions they went in search of a suitable partner to support the company in its international growth ambitions and facilitate the transition towards new management.
There was considerable interest in Easy Life from both Dutch and foreign strategic and Private-Equity parties. Ultimately, the shareholders felt most comfortable with Lifco. Laugeman and Vermeule: “Lifco may be a large organisation, but there is little hierarchy. Lifco believes in the human factor and Easy Life fits well with the company culture. At Easy Life the responsibilities lie low in the organisation and Lifco supports this philosophy. Employees are given significant responsibility and, in Lifco’s opinion, the value of the company is the sum of the employees’ experience.”

M&A advisor Fredrik Jonker from Marktlink Mergers & Acquisitions: “The current owners have created a very efficient and intelligently-organised company with premium and often organic products, developed in house. Although they are already active in over 45 countries, there is still plenty of potential to do more in existing markets. At Marktlink, we often see untapped growth potential in first-generation companies which are focused on technology and products. The same applies here. With Lifco, we believe we have found the perfect partner to provide the organisation with strategic support, without getting too involved on the operational side.”

Lifco has an infinite investment horizon, and invests with the intention of fully integrating a company within the group. Ingvar Ljungqvist from Lifco: “Lifco believes that the best decisions are made locally. Our sole ambition is to make companies perform better year after year, without going into all the detail of complicated reports. We are impressed by the historic growth and strong profitability of Easy Life. It is a strong brand with an excellent reputation. Easy Life fits perfectly within our portfolio and matches our business philosophy. We wish to go further in developing the organisation’s sales channel and increase its market share, so that Easy Life can realise its potential.” Easy Life will be part of Lifco’s Environmental Technology division and will continue to operate on an autonomous basis.

About Lifco Group
Lifco’s business concept is to acquire and develop market-leading niche businesses with the potential to deliver sustainable earnings growth and robust cash flows. Lifco is guided by a clear philosophy centred on long-term growth, a focus on profitability and a strongly decentralised organisation. The Group has three business areas: Dental, Demolition & Tools and Systems Solutions. At year-end 2020, the Lifco Group consisted of 175 operating companies in 31 countries. In 2020, Lifco reported EBITA of SEK 2,702 million on net sales of SEK 13.8 billion. The EBITA margin was 19.6 per cent. Read more at www.lifco.se.

About Easy Life
Easy Life is based in Duiven (The Netherlands) and develops, produces and sells water-treatment and fish-health products and food for water plants for use in aquariums and ponds under its own brand. In recent years the company has won several awards for its innovative and high-quality products, earning a strong reputation in aquarium products in many geographical end markets. Easy Life exports its products to retail (chains) in over 45 countries using a network of wholesalers and distributors. Website www.easylife.eu.

About Marktlink
Marktlink Mergers & Acquisitions celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Marktlink has become the largest SME M&A advisory firm in the Benelux, and has five sites in the Netherlands (in Amsterdam, Deventer, Drachten, Gouda and Den Bosch), three foreign sites (in Antwerp, Copenhagen and Düsseldorf) and more than 120 employees, who assist entrepreneurs who plan to buy or sell in realising their deals. Since its establishment, the company has managed more than 1,000 successful acquisitions and sales of companies in the Netherlands and beyond with a deal value ranging from 5 to 250 million euros. Website: www.marktlink.com.

Paul Smeele
Pressrecord PR
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