SFS Group joins forces with Hoffmann SE

Niederer Kraft Frey is acting as Swiss counsel to SFS Group on the planned acquisition of Hoffmann SE. On 22 December 2021, SIX listed SFS Group has announced the entry into an agreement to join forces with and acquire 100 per cent of Hoffmann SE. A portion of the purchase price will be paid in the form of new SFS shares to be issued from authorised capital, which is expected to be approved at an Extraordinary General Meeting of SFS Group on January 31, 2022.

Headquartered in Munich (Germany), Hoffmann SE has around 3,000 employees and is on site in over 50 countries. It generates sales of approximately
EUR 1.0 billion (excluding Contorion) in 2021. Hoffmann is a leading international systems partner for quality tools that is well-known on European markets and serves more than 100,000 customers with a product range comprising around 500,000 items. The transaction does not include Contorion, the eCommerce subsidiary of Hoffmann SE, which is geared towards a different customer segment.

SFS Group is headquartered in Switzerland and has been listed on SIX Swiss Exchange since 2014, when NKF acted as its lead counsel in the IPO. In 2020, the three divisions of SFS Group Engineered Components, Fastening Systems and Distribution & Logistics globally generated net sales in excess of CHF 1.7 billion and employed more than 10,000 employees (FTEs).

The NKF team is led by partner Philippe Weber, working with partner Thomas Brönnimann, senior associate Andrea Rüttimann, associate Samuel Hochstrasser and junior associate Irina Langenegger (all Corporate/M&A and Capital Markets).