Mutares portfolio: Artmadis acquires JD Diffusion and Excédence

Artmadis, a portfolio company of Mutares AG (ISIN: DE000A0SMSH2), is the leading distributor for tableware and kitchenware in France. After the successful takeover of the Belgian distributor Verbeelen, Artmadis has made two further add-on acquisitions leading the company to a post-merger sales level of more than EUR 100m.

Artmadis is the leading French wholesaling company of glassware, tableware and kitchenware. It supplies all major French retail chains as well as furniture stores and e-commerce retailers. Mutares acquired the company in 2012 and successfully repositioned it by implementing a comprehensive service offering in category management.

Artmadis pursues a clear strategy of leveraging its know-how and capabilities in sourcing and logistics by getting access to new markets and business segments. Through the acquisition of Verbeelen, Artmadis extended its footprint to the Belgian market and gained access to the attractive HORECA (hotels restaurants cafés) segment.

JD Diffusion, the second add-on acquisition in the last six months, is a French distributor of tableware and kitchenware to a large network of independent retail stores. JD Diffusion complements Artmadis’ sales channels by adding small retail stores to its customer base. It also allows Artmadis to enlarge its product range to new categories, such as “gift” items and decorative products.

Excédence, an acquisition from German Otto Group that has just been closed, is a French specialist in destocking with an online and offline sales channel. Artmadis can use this expertise to sell its slow moving items thus keeping its stock level low. Following its strategic focus, Artmadis’ management is confident to develop the company’s sales well above EUR 100m.