Hardis Group acquires Magnus Black from Holland Capital
| Target: | Magnus Black Holding B.V. |
| Seller: | Holland Capital |
| Advisory sell side: | Holland Capital - JSA Tax | Tax Advisory Magnum Pym Holding B.V. - Rutgers & Posch | Legal Advisory Corporate M&A Magnum Pym Holding B.V. - HSA Lawyers | Legal Advisory Corporate M&A |
| Buyer: | Hardis Group |
| Advisory buy side: | BCTG Avocats | Legal Advisory Corporate M&A |
| Date announced: | 2024-07-09 |
Hardis Group, a leading French consulting and IT services company, has announced the acquisition of Magnus Black, a Dutch consultancy specializing in digital transformation, from Holland Capital, a Dutch private equity firm. This strategic acquisition aims to enhance Hardis Group's portfolio of SaaS solutions dedicated to supply chain execution and omnichannel commerce.
Enhancing the Reflex Software Suite with OIL
Magnus Black is renowned for its cloud-native Order Management System (OMS), OIL. This acquisition will enable Hardis Group to integrate OIL into its Reflex software suite, a leading solution in supply chain execution. Reflex is used by nearly 450 customers to orchestrate, optimize, and supervise logistics networks across warehouses, factories, stores, and more. With the addition of OIL, Hardis Group aims to provide a comprehensive SaaS module for order management and customer experience optimization, catering to both B2C and B2B markets.
Florent Boizard, Director of the Supply Chain Solutions business unit at Hardis Group, stated, “OIL is a natural extension of our software portfolio to meet the challenges of e-commerce and omnichannel distribution. With this acquisition, companies using Reflex will benefit from a new SaaS component to orchestrate their orders and optimize the experience, whether in BtoC or BtoB.”
Expanding International Presence and Capabilities
Magnus Black, headquartered in Naarden, Netherlands, serves nearly 40 clients in the retail sector, including notable names such as Hunkemöller, WE Fashion, Omoda, and Blokker. The company's cloud-native OIL solutions are recognized by Gartner for their capabilities in distributed order management and retail store inventory management. The integration of OIL will provide Hardis Group with a robust platform to manage complex omnichannel orders and processes, enhancing consumer experience through advanced capabilities like unified inventory, ship-from-store, click & collect, returns management, drop shipment, and delivery promises.
Nicolas Odet, Chairman of Hardis Group, highlighted the strategic importance of this acquisition: “The integration of OIL into our solutions portfolio is a major step in our strategy of developing a global offering for the supply chain and commerce. Alongside the Magnus Black teams, who have made OIL a leader in the Benelux, we will now focus on its expansion in Europe and worldwide.”
Support and Synergy
Holland Capital, which has been a shareholder in Magnus Black since November 2020, played a significant role in the strategic development of the company. Their support has been crucial in positioning Magnus Black as a leader in the Benelux region.
André Damsteegt, Managing Partner of Magnus Black, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition: “Joining Hardis Group enables us to accelerate our international ambitions. The support and expertise of Hardis Group’s teams in Supply Chain management will significantly contribute to the further development of our solutions, allowing us to offer even more innovative solutions for the omnichannel commerce challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Future Prospects
This acquisition marks a new stage in Hardis Group’s ambition to become a global leader in the supply chain software market. By combining the strengths of Reflex and OIL, Hardis Group aims to provide a modular, flexible, and robust response to the challenges of omnichannel commerce and supply chain performance. The teams from Magnus Black will join Hardis Group, bringing their expertise and passion for omnichannel retail to a broader international audience.
With this strategic move, Hardis Group not only expands its technological capabilities but also strengthens its position in the European market, setting the stage for further international growth and innovation in supply chain and commerce solutions.
About the Companies
Hardis Group: Headquartered in Grenoble, France, Hardis Group is a prominent vendor of the Reflex software suite for logistics. The company focuses on sustainable transformation of commerce, supply chain, and information systems through cloud technologies. Employing 1,700 people, Hardis Group reported a turnover of €156 million in 2022 and operates across multiple European countries including France, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Sweden.
Magnus Black: Based in Naarden, Netherlands, Magnus Black employs around thirty professionals and serves approximately forty clients in the retail sector. Their flagship product, OIL, is a modular and flexible Order Management SaaS platform designed to provide real-time visibility and orchestration of orders and inventory.
Holland Capital: With over 40 years of investment experience, Holland Capital focuses on promising Dutch and German SMEs with growth ambitions, particularly in the Healthcare, Technology, and Agrifood-Tech sectors. They maintain offices in Amsterdam and Düsseldorf, fostering sustainable and professional relationships with their portfolio companies.