February 13, 2017
HQ Equita acquires sports nutrition specialist WELL PLUS TRADE
- Acquisition of significant stake in German market leader specializing in protein-based sports nutrition
- Plans include extension of the international footprint, expansion of the product portfolio and development of complementary sales channels
- Protein-based sports nutrition continues to offer significant growth potential
Frankfurt, February 13, 2017. HQ Equita announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in WELL PLUS TRADE GmbH (WPT). WPT’s former managing partners will retain a minority ownership stake in the company and continue their operational positions as executives. Financial terms were not disclosed.
WPT, established in 2001 and headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, specializes in the development and the distribution of protein-based sports nutrition and weight management products. The company is the market leader in the sports nutrition segment in the German retail market. Its products are sold to leading key retailers and drugstores under the WPT brands “Power System”, “Slim System” and as other private label solutions.
“The market for protein-based sports nutrition has enormous potential, especially in Germany. More and more people who partake in leisure sports appreciate the benefits of these products to support their nutrition and boost their training results,” said Torsten Krumm, Managing Partner of HQ Equita. “WPT stands to benefit from this trend. In cooperation with the management, our aim is to boost WPT’s international expansion, to source new target groups and to systematically diversify its product range.”
“WPT has recorded attractive growth in recent years and is now ready for the next stage of its expansion. HQ Equita is an experienced partner with a compelling track record and extensive expertise in the German SME segment,” said Karsten Pistor, Managing Partner and CEO of WPT.
Since 2013, WPT has boosted its sales by an average of 15 percent per annum. The company serves both the retail market as well as specialized sales channels. WPT’s future plans include offering products with new recipes, leveraging complementary sales channels and focusing specifically on new customer groups.
Protein-based sports nutrition has become the largest and fastest growing sports nutrition segment in the German-speaking retail markets. Providers benefit from the consumers’ intensified awareness of health and well-being, a trend that has led to an increase in average per-capita consumption of sports nutrition. Germany has substantial catch-up potential compared to markets such as the US, UK and Scandinavia.
About HQ Equita
HQ Equita is the mid-cap direct buyout firm of HQ Capital. It continues the Harald Quandt family’s tradition of acquiring entrepreneurial equity interests in SMEs. HQ Equita is considered an experienced provider in the German-speaking direct investment market. Since its inception in 1992, the company has obtained a total of more than one billion euros in capital commitments and has invested in over 30 SMEs over time. HQ Equita’s clients comprise institutional investors, family offices, foundations & trusts as well as renowned entrepreneurial families – including the Harald Quandt family. Further information is available at www.hqequita.com
About WPT
WELL PLUS TRADE, based in Hamburg, Germany, is an enterprise focused on the development, marketing and distribution of products to boost fitness and dieting. Its objective in marketing the WPT products under its “Power System” and “Slim System”, as well as various private label brands, is to help consumers achieve their individual sport and health-related goals. To do so, WPT has developed specially designed product concepts to ensure optimum results. WPT’S many years of experience in developing functional foods and the use of top-quality ingredients guarantees individually optimized products for enhanced vitality and wellbeing.
Contact:
Hering Schuppener
Unternehmensberatung für Kommunikation GmbH
Kathrin Meyer
+49 160 53 60 965
Sebastian Göb
+49 151 16308949
hqcapital@heringschuppener.com