Munich, March 2019 – Kloepfel Corporate Finance GmbH accompanied an owner buy-out of the Brüning Group with a minority stake in CIC Capital, the international direct investment company of the Crédit Mutuel Group and PESCA Equity Partners (PESCA).

The Brüning Group is still managed by founder and CEO Arnd Brüning, who also keeps the position as majority shareholder. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to be completed in April 2019.

The service company for energy-supplying bulk raw materials consists of the individual companies Brüning-Euromulch GmbH, Brüning-Megawatt GmbH, Brüning-Logistik GmbH, Brüning International GmbH and Gebrüder Meyer GmbH and is active throughout Europe.

Among other things, it is the market leader in the supply of biomass power plants. As a supply and disposal company, the Brüning Group structures and bundles the flow of mainly woody raw materials for thermal as well as material recycling. Its customers are for example energy producers, the wood-processing industry or garden and landscape designers.

The Group’s product portfolio of mulch and bark products, pellets, wood chips, sawmill residue and waste wood is very broad and unique on the market. In addition, the Brüning Group can offer its own logistics, making it a reliable provider and disposer. The results speak for themselves: in 2018 a turnover threshold of EUR 90 million was exceeded.

The founder and sole shareholder Arnd Brüning made the decision to bring equity investors on board in order to preserve the independence of the company and secure its position on the market in the long term. In addition, the new financial resources as well as the additional network provide the opportunity to expand into new geographical markets and thus new organic, external growth has become possible. As majority shareholder and CEO of the group, Arnd Brüning, together with the management team and CIC Capital and PESCA as partners, plans to take the company to the next level.

Arnd Brüning stressed: “With CIC Capital and PESCA Equity Partners we have found strong partners for the future of our company who will accompany and actively support us on our growth course. Our initial discussions have already shown that our views on the strategic direction of the company are in agreement and that the chemistry between the people involved is right. I look forward to the cooperation and strategic dialogue with our new partners”.

Kloepfel Corporate Finance acted as exclusive M&A advisor to the Brüning Group. The internationally structured transaction process, which involved both private equity and strategic prospective buyers, served to find the right long-term partner for the shareholder, who not only shares his vision but also accompanies and supports the company on its further international growth path.