MCF acted as Debt Advisor to Silver Investment Partners-backed ETG Holding on the acquisition of CTS Gruppen- und Studienreisen GmbH
Silver Investment Partners has partnered with the founding family and management of CTS Gruppen- und Studienreisen GmbH (CTS Reisen), one of Germany’s leading specialist providers of school trips and educational group travel. As an entrepreneurial partner, SIP will support the company’s next phase of development, with a focus on continuity, organic growth and expansion into new markets, customer segments and destinations.
In this transaction, MCF acted as debt advisor to Silver Investment Partners-backed ETG Holding GmbH (Educational Travel Group) on the arranging and structuring of the acquisition financing.
The Deal
Silver Investment Partners has partnered with the existing shareholders of CTS Reisen to support the company’s next phase of growth. To this end, a new holding company, ETG Holding GmbH (Educational Travel Group), has been established as the parent company of CTS Reisen, with Silver Investment Partners and the existing shareholders Ingo Dobbert and Oliver Dobbert, as well as Christoph Knobloch, who becomes a new shareholder, holding interests in the new structure. Christoph Knobloch and Oliver Dobbert will remain Managing Directors, while founder Ingo Dobbert will join the advisory board of the new holding company.
For Silver Investment Partners, CTS Reisen is an attractive platform in a resilient segment of the educational and group travel market. The company combines a strong brand, close and long-standing customer relationships, an experienced team and a broad portfolio of destinations and travel formats built up over five decades.
The financing structure implemented alongside the transaction provides both CTS Reisen as well as ETH Holding with operational flexibility and the resources to support its continued growth, including its planned expansion into new markets, customer segments and destinations, as well as potential add-on acquisitions.
The Target
Founded in 1974 by Ingo Dobbert and headquartered in Lemgo, CTS Reisen is one of Germany’s leading specialist providers of school trips and educational group travel. The company organises more than 6,500 trips each year for over 220,000 participants, with a portfolio of more than 400 destinations across 31 European countries and the United States. Its offering comprises curriculum-based school trips, study tours and university excursions by coach, rail and air, and additionally serves coach operators, businesses, teaching staff, clubs and associations. CTS Reisen employs 115 people at its headquarters in Lemgo.
About Silver Investment Partners
Silver Investment Partners (SIP) is an independent private equity partner for mid-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, headquartered in Königstein im Taunus. As an entrepreneurial, experienced and reliable partner, SIP invests in majority and minority shareholdings in companies with revenues between €5 million and €100 million. Typical investment situations include succession solutions, shareholder transitions, corporate carve-outs, and growth financing. For more information, please visit www.silver-ip.com.
