Barentz International, a leading global life science ingredients distributor, has announced that it will acquire Unipex, a leading French distributor of life science ingredients and specialty chemicals. The Paris-based company is one of the leading distributors in France, Benelux and Africa and is well known in the French and Benelux markets for innovation and leading trend development, efficiently using their own formulations labs. The acquisition of this French platform is aligned with Barentz’ growth strategy to become the leading global life science distributor. The transaction is subject to the completion of legal and specified closing conditions, including the receipt of European merger control clearances.
Highlights:
- The acquisition strengthens Barentz’ presence in France and immediately complements Barentz’ strong European network
- Unipex provides a gateway to strengthen Barentz’ Southern-European presence and provides a steppingstone for Barentz in North-Africa
- The acquisition further extends Barentz European network of logistic centers and application laboratories
- Unipex is regarded as the ESG and sustainability benchmark in the French market which actively fits into Barentz’ global ESG program
- The current management team will remain in charge and further growth in France is expected
Hidde van der Wal, CEO of Barentz, commented: ‘Unipex has a very strong position in the heart of the European life science ingredients market, with the focus on France. Their value proposition as ‘The Smart Distributor of specialties’, operating on the edge between welfare and performance’ perfectly matches Barentz’ brand positioning; ‘always creating better solutions’. These solutions enable sustained success for our customers, principals and all other stakeholders. This acquisition strategically strengthens our position in France and brings continuity and new business development opportunities on a local and regional level.’
Patrice Barthelmes, CEO of Unipex added: ‘We have placed sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and both principals and customer satisfaction at the heart of our growth strategy. We both share the same core values and ambitions, and we are confident we will be able to continue our journey successfully together. We are looking forward to joining Barentz’ global network of highly skilled and talented ingredient experts. Above all, we feel the cultural similarity based on our shared beliefs will result in a prosperous long-lasting partnership.’
About Unipex
With over 50 years of experience in the distribution of specialty ingredients, Unipex serves the life science ingredients and specialty chemicals market in Europe and North Africa. The company represents more than 1.700 ingredients from 30 global Tier 1 suppliers. Unipex has commercial offices in Paris, Brussels and Casablanca, and employs a workforce of more than 80 people. For more information, visit www.unipex.com
About Barentz
Barentz is a leading global life science ingredients distributor. The company sources branded specialty ingredients from leading manufacturers worldwide and its ingredient experts provide value-added technical support which includes pre-mixing, blending, ingredient formulation and ingredient testing from its state-of-the-art, customized formulation centers and application laboratories in EMEA, Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Established in 1953, Barentz has operations in more than 60 countries with a strong presence in Europe and North America, and a rapidly growing network in Latin America and Asia-Pacific. With a turnover of €1.85 billion, the company employs around 1,750 people worldwide and serves over 21,000 customers. For more information, visit: www.barentz.com
For more information, please contact:
Marcel Hölscher
Global Head of Marketing & Communication
marcel.holscher@barentz.com
+31 (0)23 567 34 56