Buyout segment
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the Nordic buyout segment. In H1, buyout funds made 42% fewer deals in the Nordics compared with the average for the last five years. The amount invested was almost 70% lower than the average.
Buyout funds performed 41 deals in Nordic companies in the first half of the year, a decrease of 34% from the same period last year, and down 42% from the five-year average for the period.
We see a clear shift in sector focus for buyout funds in H1. The ICT sector accounted for just under half of all transactions. At the other end, and somewhat surprising, we find the consumer sector, which in the first half of the year accounted for only three investments.
Swedish companies attracted half of all investments made in H1. Norway had the second most investments in the segment (23%), followed by Finland (15%) and Denmark (12%).
Buyout funds invested almost €1.5 billion in Nordic companies. The invested amount is a considerable decrease from H1 2019 (€5.8 billion, down over 75%), and almost 69% lower than the five-year average for the period (€4.8 billion).
Almost two-thirds of the invested amount went to Swedish companies, in Norway the amount is in line with the number of investments (21%), while Finland and Denmark have an equally low amount (8% to both countries).
Major transactions include:
- Francisco Partners’ investment in Consignor, a Norwegian company that offers software for simple shipping solutions;
- Nordic Capital’s investment in Max Matthiessen, a Swedish company that provides financial advice;
- And Altor’s investment in the Swedish infrastructure company Eleda Group.