Getting a strong partner on board to take in all sixteen entities of the Zonnemarkt Groep and get them all to sing from the same song sheet – that was the request of Dennis Valkenburg and Siebe Evers as they knocked at Marktlink’s door. A dynamic process followed, attracting much interest from international heavyweights. The choice fell on the family office of Green & Durable Group in Belgium. With this acquisition, it is able to further extend its growth ambitions in the Benelux region.

Saying that businesses in the sustainability sector have grown fast in the past few years has quickly become an understatement. From its origins as a facilities service provider, entrepreneurs Remko de Wit and Sieve Evers, founders of Zonnemarkt B.V., kept adding new businesses, each with its own service offering. And each with its own entrepreneurs. “In the end, that resulted in sixteen entities with ten shareholders, among whom conflicting interests emerged,” Jeffrey Scholtens explains, who formed the dealteam together with Lars de Ruiter, Simon Hevink, Simone Kriekaart and Sem Wouters. “In addition to the search for a strong partner, creating shared objectives among all shareholders was essential. During the sale process, we presented the Zonnemarkt Groep as a unified group.”

Organic growth and continued acquisition

Initially, the shareholders considered a strategic buyer the most obvious choice. “That the final candidate was an investor after all, is mostly due to the shareholders’ ambitions. During the meetings, the owners were getting more and more enthusiastic about the outlined future with Green & Durable Group, part of Hasco Invest. They could have gone for an international strategic buyer, but under the flag of the Belgian market leader, Zonnemarkt Groep is now the platform in the Netherlands that will keep growing by means of both organic growth and new acquisitions. The men behind Zonnemarkt Groep can shift their focus back to their business, all with the same group interest in mind,” Jeffrey relates.

Complex issue

“In this complex issue of finding the right partner for Zonnemarkt Groep’s sixteen entities, as a group of ten sellers, engaging Marktlink was doubtlessly the right choice. Throughout the process, we’ve seen professionality in business but above all, we had lots of fun – topped off by a fantastic result. This partnership enables us to specialise more in offering full-service solutions in the area of renewable energy. With Green & Durable Group’s investment and extensive network, we can continue to grow by responding to our customers’ needs even faster and better,” say Siebe Evers and Remko de Wit, co-founders of Zonnemarkt Groep.

Dennis Edey of Hasco Invest looks back with contentment. “Again, a pleasant cooperation with Marktlink. Its Belgian consultants assisted us in 2021, when we acquired Green & Durable Energy.” His colleague Gerben Wolf, managing director of Green & Durable Energy in the Netherlands, emphasises the forward step in growth ambitions. “We strongly believe in the necessity of the energy transition and are convinced of the opportunities these developments have to offer.”