Azelis

Fineurop Soditic acted as financial advisor to the private equity firm Apax Partners in the acquisition of Azelis Group from funds managed by 3i. Azelis Group is a leading global distributor of specialty chemicals and related services. 3i and funds managed by 3i acquired a majority stake in Azelis in 2007. Since then the Company has transformed from a decentralised European business into an integrated group, operating under the Azelis brand, serving customers and principals in the coatings, chemicals, rubber and plastic additives, food and health, animal nutrition, pharma and personal care industries. During this period, Azelis has grown both organically and through acquisitions, significantly expanding its geographic footprint in the UK, Benelux, and Central and Eastern Europe. It has also successfully entered the Asian chemical distribution market, opening several offices in China, Japan and South-East Asia. Substantial operational improvements were also implemented across the organisation. Azelis achieves a worldwide turnover of 1 billion Euro and employs around 1100 staff in 34 countries, including in Europe, China, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and Malaysia. In Germany, Azelis is represented at locations in Krefeld, Moers and Sankt Augustin, where it is particularly active in the pharma, personal care and food ingredient industries along with the distribution of chemicals. Apax Partners, together with the existing management team, intends to continue Azelis' strategic focus on growing the business through ongoing development of its specialist product portfolio and continuing to extend its global reach, both organically and through acquisitions.