The announcement, at the end of June 2023, by Groupe RG of its entry into exclusive negotiations with the shareholders of Vandeputte Group, PPE distributor in Belgium (€145m sales), represents an additional step in the PPE sector consolidation. This transaction, if confirmed, will turn Groupe RG into a €480m sales group and will enable it to diversify its geographic presence.
This announcement follows the third acquisition in Europe of Protective Industrial Products (PIP), US player in the PPE sector, which has just purchased in June 2023 Ultimate Cleaners Industrial, Ltd, an English PPE distributor generating £24m of sales. PIP bought in May 2023 ISM, German safety footwear manufacturer which owns the Puma Safety license and the Albatros brand (estimated sales between €70 and 80m), and acquired last year Industrial Starter, Italian PPE platform (estimated sales of €60m) operating in Italy, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic.
During this first semester, Bunzl acquired Arbeitsschutz Express, German digitalized PPE distributor generating approx. €40m of sales, Irudek, Spanish manufacturer of fall protection products and distributor of a comprehensive range of PPE (€17m of sales), and Leal, Brazilian PPE distributor (£34m of sales).
In a rather sluggish mergers and acquisitions market, the PPE sector looks undeniably attractive in this first half of 2023.
