maconda advises Swedish investor IK Investment Partners on its investment in Debitor-Inkasso, an innovative German debt collection service provider
maconda News November 2017
The Cologne-based maconda team supported the German team of Swedish private equity investor IK Investment Partners in the acquisition of the innovative receivables management specialist Debitor-Inkasso, based in Bad Schwartau near Lübeck. The consultants, who are highly experienced in business-related services and business process outsourcing, analyzed the market, the competitive landscape, and the legal framework.
Debitor-Inkasso GmbH specializes in the recovery of particularly small overdue receivables from defaulting debtors, primarily consumers. Communication takes place via a mix of various channels tailored to this target group (including email, WhatsApp, and SMS) and sometimes spans several years, although a large portion of outstanding receivables is collected relatively quickly. And this is achieved without the negative connotation that was common among many providers in the debt collection industry, especially in the past.
The clients who entrust Debitor-Inkasso with the management of their receivables come primarily from the insurance industry, publishing, and the social media sector. Thanks to the modern communication mix and a high degree of automation, Debitor-Inkasso achieves high recovery rates and high levels of satisfaction among both debtors and clients.
maconda was responsible for the Commercial Due Diligence. This involved analyzing the non-transparent German market for debt collection services, segmenting Debitor-Inkasso’s customer groups accordingly, and identifying the drivers and trends influencing the market. Due to several successfully completed engagements in the debt collection services market, the experienced maconda team was able to determine and evaluate Debitor-Inkasso’s positioning within the fragmented competitive landscape in a short period of time. Particular attention was paid to the complex regulatory environment, which significantly determines the business of debt collection service providers. The analytical basis was supported by various market data from associations, market studies, and insights from numerous blind interviews with market experts.
The IK Small Cap Fund acquired Debitor-Inkasso from Neue Verlagsgesellschaft, a subsidiary of BurdaDirect. Debt financing was provided by SEB. IK Investment Partners is a private equity firm focusing on the Nordic countries, the DACH region, France, and Benelux. Since 1989, the investor has launched funds with an equity volume of more than €9 billion.