Cross-border Marktlink team finds Swedish investor for Silk-ka

A cross-border team of M&A firm Marktlink has brought together Swedish investment company Röko with Netherlands-based flower group Silk-ka.

When Marktlink expanded its activities to Scandinavia last year, the M&A specialist asserted that its fresh office in Copenhagen would not only meet the needs of the local market, but also strengthen its pan-European network.

With the closing of the deal between Silk-ka and Röko, the consulting firm has put this to practice. Acting on behalf of Silk-ka, Marktlink set out to find a financial investor – with the ideal match coming from the firm’s Danish colleagues.

Silk-ka was founded in 1988 by the brothers Patrick and Robert Oude Groeniger, with Patrick assuming full ownership from 2008 onwards. The company produces artificial flowers, plants and trees, and sells its range of products in more than 70 countries worldwide through agencies and showrooms. The products are purchased both by consumers and used for events such as weddings and product launches.

“We are already one of the best-known designers and exporters of artificial flower collections worldwide”, said Patrick Oude Groeniger, “but we have the ambition to grow further. Together with Röko, we want to become a global market leader.”

When Marktlink’s Dutch team was handed the remit to find a growth partner, the firm involved its foreign offices in the search process. Marktlink is headquartered in the Netherlands, and has offices in Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

“We received several potential opportunities from across our network,” said Fredrik Jonker from Marktlink, who supported the deal from start to finish, “and following a due diligence process, Silk-ka’s decision went in favour of Röko. Their pragmatic way of thinking fits in well with Silk-ka’s culture.”

In Sweden, Röko has investments in around 20 mid-market companies. Silk-ka is the company’s second investment in the Netherlands.