Heffiq

Lex: "Heffiq was founded in 1938 under the name Geveke & Co, as the exclusive dealer of the American forklift brand Hyster. After several acquisitions, the shares of the operating company Geveke Internal Transport eventually came into the hands of the current management – including myself – in 2013.

At the time of this management buy-out, I was 58, and it was already clear that I would want to sell my shares at some point. That moment came in 2020; I was nearing retirement age and wanted to leave the company, which had since been renamed Heffiq, in good hands. My co-shareholders were not interested in taking over my shares, so we decided to put the company up for sale.

After conversations with several parties, Rembrandt M&A eventually emerged as the most suitable partner to guide the sale; they were down to earth, asked incisive questions, and gave me the feeling that they could truly take the burden off my shoulders. Moreover, Rembrandt also has an extensive network of external specialists for all legal work, for example. That inspires confidence.

In mid-2020, we initiated the entire process of information gathering and, with a professional information memorandum in hand, we could approach potential buyers. There were also parties from Rembrandt's network that I didn't know myself. When bids then come in, it is very helpful to have an experienced party look over them and clarify how a bid is precisely structured. Every bid is structured a bit differently, and as a relative layman, you quickly lose sight of the bigger picture. That clarification from Rembrandt was truly of enormous added value.

Another clear added value for me was in the network of Rembrandt and their shareholder Rabobank. I didn't know the eventual buyer, the Pallieter Group, myself. Also very pleasant: the team took over all communication with the other party during the negotiation phase, so you don't have to worry about it. Furthermore, it is certainly worth mentioning that Rembrandt operates very discreetly. We wanted above all to prevent news of a potential acquisition from spreading and causing unrest among our staff. We managed to keep the acquisition quiet until the very last moment.

All in all, we found an outstanding buyer in Pallieter, who also has the approval of our supplier Hyster. The most important thing for me was the continuity and safeguarding of the company. My successor, Anthony Trienekens, has set up an excellent plan for the future in a short period, and the atmosphere among the employees is excellent. In short, I consider myself fortunate with this fine shareholder, whom we would never have found without Rembrandt."

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