Founders have sold a majority stake in KMK Kinderzimmer to Franz Haniel & Cie.

KMK Kinderzimmer is the leading and fastest-growing independent, private for-profit childcare service provider in Germany offering a second home for all children under six years old. With its relentless focus on the highest-quality, operational excellence and outstanding digitalization capabilities, KMK Kinderzimmer achieves industry benchmark margins and has experienced an exceptional growth journey. Since its founding in 2011, KMK Kinderzimmer has grown to currently 29 centers in Hamburg, Germany, as well as one center in Munich, Germany, with a total capacity of over 4,070 spots and over 600 employees. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Together, Haniel and the founders, Karina Kruse and Melf Kruse, strive to build a pan-European champion within the next ten years. KMK Kinderzimmer perfectly fits into Haniel’s investment approach of providing a proud home to bold entrepreneurs. Jointly, Haniel and the founders aim to shape the future of high-quality childcare, seeking to narrow down the tremendous supply and demand gap in German childcare services. Karina Kruse and Melf Kruse are remaining as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of KMK Kinderzimmer.

“We are delighted to have gained a strong partner in Haniel, which aims to create value for generations through its ‘enkelfähig’ approach. Together, we will be even more successful in giving more and more children a second home. Through access to early childhood education regardless of social background, we are making our vision of a society with more equal opportunities a reality. Our companies share not only very similar values but also a common understanding of social responsibility,” commented Karina Kruse.

Lincoln International acted as the exclusive mergers and acquisitions advisor to the founders in this transaction, leading the process throughout all deal stages, including carefully selecting a field of potential bidders, working closely with the founders and the management team to prepare the business for sale and negotiating the price and commercial terms. Lincoln International achieved an outstanding result for the founders and managed a highly competitive auction process. This deal underpins the strong market expertise and execution capabilities of Lincoln International’s Healthcare and Business Services Groups in a highly competitive and aggressive deal environment.

Haniel is a German family equity company based in Duisburg-Ruhrort, Germany, and founded in 1756. From there, the holding company, which is 100-percent family owned, creates a diversified portfolio. It pursues a unique investment strategy as a value developer that combines a consistent alignment with sustainability criteria and a clear performance orientation.

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