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MB Funds acquire Suomen Gallup
(MB Funds 18.6.1999)
MB Funds today purchased 80 % shareholding in Suomen Gallup Oy together with the management of the company. Suomen Gallup Group is the leading opinion and market research company in Finland with substantial operations in Russia and the Baltic states.
The vendor, Markkinointi-instituutin Kannatusyhdistys, a non-profit organisation backing a leading business education institute in Finland, will maintain a 20 % stake in Suomen Gallup.
Suomen Gallup Group turnover for this year will be above FIM 160 Million or EURO 27 Million.
The price is not disclosed. The financing consists of equity, mezzanine and bank debt. Equity was provided by MB Equity Fund Ky, mezzanine by Leonia MB Group Oy, and senior financing by Leonia Bank.
Matti Mertsola (team leader), Mirja Sundström and Kari Rytkönen of MB Funds were involved. Legal advisors to equity were Jari Sonninen and Lasse Rosengren of Heikki Haapaniemi law firm. Financial due diligence was carried out by Eija Niemi-Nikkola and Hannu Vänskä of Arthur Andersen.
With FIM 2.5 billion, or EURO 420 Million, of funds under management, MB Funds are the largest Finnish private equity investor.