Gilde Equity Management (GEM) Benelux announces first and final close of its Fund II at hard cap of €200 million

Thirteen institutional investors, predominantly existing GEM Benelux I backers and a select group of highly regarded investors new to the firm, have committed to GEM Benelux II. The investor group consists of a variety of Dutch, Continental European, UK and US sources and a diversified group of pension funds, funds-of-funds, and international financial institutions. The investor base includes, among others, Allianz, the European Investment Fund, Pohjola Private Equity, Credit Suisse’s Customized Fund Investments Group, clients advised by Altius Associates, Aviva Investors, FLAG Capital Management and Rho. Rabobank, which has backed the GEM Benelux team since 1996, continued its long-standing support by committing 12.5% of the new Fund's capital in line with other larger investors. Returning investors increased their Fund II vs. Fund I commitments by an average of 45%.

Gerhard Nordemann, Managing Partner of GEM Benelux, commented: “Considering that we only started the process in November, and managed it ourselves, this has been a most efficient and swift fundraising, especially so in the context of the tough fundraising climate. Part of this success can be attributed to our investors’ comfort with our limited use of leverage in transactions, our constant focus on risk mitigation and the quality of the businesses we target. Generating stable and superior investment returns isn't automatic in this business. We are very gratified that investors have demonstrated their continuing confidence in the team by supporting GEM Benelux II. We look forward to using this new capital in supporting many more management teams in building great companies.”

For more information:
Gerhard Nordemann | Managing Partner | nordemann@gilde.nl
Remko Jager | Managing Partner | jager@gilde.nl
Phone: +31 30 219 2555

About Gilde Equity Management (GEM) Benelux

GEM Benelux is a private equity firm that invests in buyout transactions with an enterprise value ranging up to €100 million. Some examples of investments made by GEM Benelux include Hamal Signature, the leading Belgian salad producer and marketer, owning strong brand names like Delio and Hamal; Socaz Group, a lubricant manufacturing company internationally operating through its subsidiaries De Oliebron, and Kroon-Oil; De Banketgroep, the largest producer and marketer of pastry and waffle products in The Netherlands, and Dunlop Protective Footwear, the European market leader in protective footwear operating under the Dunlop brand; TASK 24, the Dutch market leader in the technical automation market. One of the team’s most recent investments is HG International, a leading branded supplier of cleaning products in predominantly The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. In January 2010 the team finalized the investments in Johma Salades and Johma Sandwiches. Johma produces an extensive range of spreadable salads and is a well know consumer food brand in The Netherlands. Johma Sandwiches is a leading producer of freshly-made, pre-packaged sandwiches, rolls and wraps.

Examples of other investments are Bart’s Retail (Bakker Bart), Royal Peijnenburg, All Crump, Codi International, CurTec and Ad van Geloven. For more information, please visit our website www.gembenelux.com.