KPMG and Deloitte advise on deal in Dutch software landscape

IT software company Unit4 has acquired JSKS, a small Netherlands-based provider of accountancy and fiscal software to mid-sized businesses and entrepreneurs. The deal was advised on by M&A advisors from Big Four firms KPMG and Deloitte, and law firms NautaDutilh and Ploum.

Founded in 2012 by a quartet of co-founders, Jelke Jansen, Ynze Sipkema, Ruud van der Kruk and Jelle Stelpstra, JSKS has since grown into one of the Netherlands’ larger players in the accounting, corporate taxation and fiscal field. According to the company’s records, last year 1.7 million tax declarations were completed with ‘Fiscaal Gemak’, which is the firm’s proprietary taxation cloud-based solution.

In 2014, JSKS started working with Unit4, with revenues of nearly €500 million and more than 3,000 employees one of Europe’s larger ERP and software vendors. Under a white label arrangement, the solutions part of Fiscaal Gemak spanning corporate tax, VAT and workflow modules were offered as part of the Unit4 product suite.Five years down the line, Unit4 has now fully acquired JSKS, in a move that according to Unit4 strengthens its market position as a full service accountancy software provider in the small and mid-sized business segment. “Unit4 is fully committed to providing a complete accountancy and tax solution in the cloud that supports all primary processes of the accountant – tax, accounting, salary and VAT,” said Herman de Jonge, the recently appointed chief executive of Unit4’s SME Software wing. 

As part of the integration, JSKS will continue to operate from its office in Barendrecht under the leadership of the co-founders, who will report into De Jonge. Commenting on the transaction, Van der Kruk said, “After years of successful cooperation, we are proud to be a full part of Unit4… because Unit4 is the only ‘one stop shop’ for accountants in the Netherlands, we are convinced that together we can best support our customers.”

Dealmakers

The deal, which closed at the end of last month, was brought together by financial advisors from KPMG and Deloitte. Experts from KPMG’s Corporate Finance arm provided M&A advisoy to JSKS, while at the other side of the table, Deloitte served the interests of Unit4. KPMG Meijburg, the Dutch tax advisory arm of KPMG, took responsibility for tax consultancy, while M&A lawyers from NautaDutilh and Ploum provided the legal expertise.

Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Earlier this year, Unit4 bought Intuo, a provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) services and solutions. Previous deals the Benelux-headquartered software player completed include among others that of Assistance Software and Primaccount Software in the Netherlands, Prevero in Germany, and Teta in Poland.