June 14, 2010

AUCTUS invests in Swiss University

Munich, June 14, 2010 - Career Partner Group, which is part of the Munich-based private equity fund AUCTUS, acquired a majority stake in the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality (SSTH) in Chur, Switzerland. Career Partner Group already owns the International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, which is focused on tourism and hotel management, the Steigenberger Academy, the Adam-Ries University of Applied Sciences and Path2University, the preparation program for international students who want to study in Germany. The acquisition of the Swiss School supports Career Partner in strengthening its market position as a leading European provider of post secondary education.

The SSTH was founded in 1966. Approximately 700 students from 50 countries are currently enrolled. The internationally accredited Swiss School focuses on degree programs in the areas of tourism, hotel management and gastronomy.

Including the SSTH, the number of students enrolled in schools of the Career Partner Group increases to 2,700. At the same time, Career Partner’s presence is supplemented by an important market: “We are very happy to gain access to the Swiss education market with its outstanding international reputation in hotel management by our new locations in Chur and Passug”, announces Dr. Florian Schütz, CEO of Career Partner GmbH.

In the medium term, the Career Partner Group intends to expand further. “We rather see a critical size at around 5,000 students in an international context”, explains Dr. Ingo Krocke, Managing Partner at AUCTUS. “However, it will be important to maintain the individuality of the entities. A clearly positioned brand is extremely important in the education sector” adds Krocke.

AUCTUS, one of the most active and reputable private equity funds investing in „Mittelstand“ companies, further expands its leading market position in the field of private post secondary education. In addition to the college and university activities, the area of professional training will form a dedicated focus within in the Career Partner Group in the future. “Demographic change and the resulting decline in qualified workforce will compel companies to strongly invest in professional training”, comments Florian Buddemeier, Investment Professional at AUCTUS. “Especially a combination of expertise in professional training and higher education is fascinating”, explains Buddemeier. In addition to organic growth, AUCTUS will further acquire established education providers. “We plan further acquisitions”, mentions Krocke.

Dr. Ingo Krocke and Florian Buddemeier led the transaction for the AUCTUS team. The sale and purchase contract was signed end of April 2010 – the acquired shares were transferred to Career Partner GmbH on June 10, 2010.

About AUCTUS:
AUCTUS mainly invests in buy & build, ownership succession and spin-offs / carve-outs of established and profitable businesses in all sectors.

AUCTUS focuses on companies with revenues between 10 and 150 m EUR and a transaction volume between 10 and 50 m EUR. In total, AUCTUS has completed more than 40 transactions and thereby acquired companies in different sectors.

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