goetzpartners advised Ronal Group

Fortlane Partners was mandated as exclusive M&A and Commercial Due Diligence advisor by leading global wheels manufacturer RONAL AG (“RONAL Group”) and its 100% subsidiary SanSwiss AG (“SanSwiss”) on the acquisition of Kudos Shower Products Limited (“Kudos” or “Kudos Group”), a UK-based manufacturer of shower enclosures and trays.

SanSwiss, headquartered in Härkingen, Switzerland, is a leading European manufacturer of shower enclosures, shower trays, as well as other bathroom and wellness products, selling to over 17 countries. Kudos Group was identified as an ideal opportunity to bring together two successful businesses with complementary products. The combination aims at enabling SanSwiss’s expansion in the UK market, growth potential in Europe with the existing Kudos range, and the development of new products through combined resources within the enlarged business.

Olivier Gunther and Sebastian Hainz, Co-Managing Directors of SanSwiss, are highly convinced of the new opportunities and synergies with Kudos under the SanSwiss umbrella: ”Kudos is a well-known brand with an outstanding reputation in manufacturing and selling shower enclosures and shower screens in the UK. With Kudos, we are further expanding our core competence and performance in shower enclosures, shower screens, and trays for our partners and customers across Europe. We also expect considerable opportunities and synergies through leveraging marketing, technology and product content, new product development, sourcing and production capacity. Both companies and brands will continue without interruption with their independent sales activities in the respective channels and countries. We are confident that the combined high-level expertise will enable us to offer our customers even more benefits and innovative shower and bathroom solutions.”

Kudos's outgoing Group CEO and founder, Bruce Ledwith, who will remain with the company in a consultative role for the foreseeable future, commented: “After 23 years, I think it’s not only time to take a step back, but to also look to the long-term future of Kudos. This investment by SanSwiss provides, significant growth opportunities and their strong commitment to maintaining and expanding our manufacturing facilities within the UK, provides our people with greater long-term security. SanSwiss have made it clear that their investment is not just in the Kudos brand or market share, but also in the current management team.”

Fortlane Partners acted as sole and exclusive M&A buy-side and Commercial Due Diligence advisor to RONAL and SanSwiss. This transaction demonstrates and underscores Fortlane Partners's ability and expertise in successfully executing complex cross-border M&A-transactions with a cross-functional team comprising corporate finance as well as strategic and commercial transaction advisory experts.

About Ronal Group
RONAL Group is a leading manufacturer in the global market for light alloy wheels for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. With over 7,500 employees and 15 production facilities, RONAL Group supplies all well-known car manufacturers throughout the world as an OEM. As of 1981, RONAL Group has diversified its product offering and started the manufacturing of exclusive shower enclosures, which today is represented by SanSwiss, a subsidiary of RONAL Group.

About Sanswiss
SanSwiss is a leading European manufacturer of shower enclosures, shower trays and other bathroom and wellness products. With production plants in the Czech Republic, Italy and Romania and a presence in more than 17 countries, SanSwiss is one of the most renowned manufacturers of shower enclosures on the European market.

About Kudos Group
Kudos Group is a leading manufacturer of shower enclosures, shower trays, walk-in panels and wetroom systems in the United Kingdom with main manufacturing operation and head office in Elmsfield, Cumbria, and a finished goods warehousing and distribution facility in Sandbach. The Group also consists of Aquamark Holdings (Pty) Limited (“Aquamark”), a South African subsidiary focused on the technical design, manufacture and supply of components and extruded seals for shower enclosures. As previous supplier to Kudos, Aquamark was acquired in 2008 to protect IP and to bring component manufacture and design capabilities in-house.

Transaction team: 

M&A Team
Dr. Herbert Werle
Managing Director


Christian Muthler
Managing Director

Jannik Alt
Associate

Lukas Haasis
Analyst
 

CDD Team
Alexander Reitmann
Principal

Andreas Haselbach
Manager

Jannis Sandow
Consultant

Timo Stern
Associate Consultant