MCF advised Shore on the sale to group.one, a portfolio company of Cinven and OTPP
In this transaction, MCF advised the management team and other existing shareholders on the sale of the end-to-end SMB software solution provider Shore to Cinven and OTPP-backed cloud hosting and software player group.one.
Shore GmbH is an end-to-end SaaS vendor focused on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the DACH region. They provide a comprehensive suite of cloud-based tools designed to streamline operations for local service providers across various industries, including retail, health and wellness, beauty, and fitness. Offerings include an efficient POS system, 24/7 appointment scheduling, customer relationship management, and digital marketing services. These solutions help businesses reduce administrative tasks, improve operational efficiency, and enhance customer interactions, driving growth by integrating essential functions into a single platform.
“We are delighted to have worked with MCF Corporate Finance on the sale of Shore to group.one. MCF helped us identify the best partner, and the MCF team’s expertise, dedication, and clear advice on complex topics throughout the entire M&A process was instrumental in navigating us through to a successful outcome. The transaction represents a great result for all involved and we are very excited to partner with group.one to continue our growth journey.”
group.one’s acquisition of Shore strategically expands its SaaS offerings, introducing essential tools for businesses in health and wellness, hospitality, and sports and leisure. Shore’s solution, which combines online appointment-making with a Point-of-Sale device for in-store payments, will integrate into group.one’s Website Builder and ‘Do It For Me’ service. This will enhance group.one’s product offerings, enabling online appointment bookings, customer communication, and Point-of-Sale payments. Launching online payments in 2025 will further strengthen the SaaS ecosystem, benefiting group.one’s brands like one.com, Hostnet, and checkdomain.
The acquisition will introduce three new key areas to group.one’s product offering that perfectly match group.one’s customer demands. The ability to book online appointments, to communicate with customers who have booked an appointment, and Point-of-Sale payments – attractive adjacencies representing significant double-digit revenue growth over the coming years.
About group.one
Headquartered in Sweden and with offices in 12 countries, group.one serves over 2 million customers, predominantly small and medium-sized businesses. The company provides digital solutions such as Software as a Service and Hosting. Under group.one ownership, leading brands like one.com, Zoner, WP Rocket, Rank Math, Hostnet, Herold and 20+ others enable customers to go and grow online. The company has significantly grown its revenues to over €300 million in the financial year ending 30th September 2023.