Private equity firm backs warehouse safety group’s buy and build strategy

Private equity firm LDC’s West Midlands team has backed the buy and build growth strategy of IWS Group, an international warehouse safety, impact protection and storage equipment group. The backing will enable IWS to continue with an acquisitive growth strategy that has seen it make four acquisitions over the past four years.

IWS Group serves customers in the global warehousing, logistics and material handling sectors, providing products and services that aim to improve site safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability. Its global customer base includes contractors, resellers and system integrators working across a range of sectors.

With LDC’s backing, IWS's exiting management team, led by CEO Jeroen van den Berge and director Tim Lacey, will target complementary businesses that expand its specialist product offering and grow its international presence. Funding will also be used for organic new product development.

IWS Group CEO and co-founder Jeroen van den Berge said: Safety, efficiency and sustainability have never been more important to our customers. We have grown significantly by bringing businesses into the Group that help us to build on our credentials as a full-service provider to industrial workplaces.

“LDC is the perfect partner to help us accelerate this strategy while remaining in the driving seat of the business. Matt, Chris and Karen at LDC have years of experience helping management teams like us to expand through acquisition. We are looking forward to welcoming more businesses into the IWS family with LDC’s support.”

LDC Midlands Investment Director Matt Newbold, who helped lead the investment, added: “The IWS Group is a market leading provider of through-life services to the growing and evolving industrial workspace market, supporting their customers with solutions focused on safety and efficiency.”

“The continued strength of the UK and European logistics & warehousing sector is a strong market driver, with operators increasingly focused on bespoke-designed, energy efficient solutions to meet the long-term structural growth of this market, which IWS is well-placed to support. We’re excited to support the team at IWS Group to pursue their organic, M&A and international growth plans.”

The rise of e-commerce, which was rapidly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen the need for warehousing and warehousing solutions increase exponentially. Over the past decade, the number of UK premises for logistics, warehousing and transport has nearly doubled.

Read more about the growth of e-commerce and its impact on the UK’s commercial property market.

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