The takeover has still to be approved by the anti-trust regulator. It was agreed not to disclose the price of the transaction.
The group Christian Maurer GmbH is active as a leading supplier of cleaning, cleansing and maintenance products and related services on the Austrian and south-eastern European markets with its emphasis on the automotive sector. The main foci of the company are collaboration with petrochemical companies and its own "Clean & Care" business which offers a complete service package to pro-fessional workshops and automatic car-wash operators. The group also has well established subsidiaries in Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania); a further subsidiary is currently being set up in Slovakia.
In fiscal year 2007, 62 employees – 26 of them in field sales – achieved consolidated sales of around twelve million euros. The figures for the current fiscal year showing high double digit growth rates underline the very positive dynamic expansion.
The join up with Caramba Holding and the Combined Berner Group offers the Chemicals Division great opportunities for further successful expansion in the south-eastern region of Europe in the coming years.
The Combined Berner Group is an expanding direct sales company operating throughout Europe which specializes in the sale of small parts (tools and consumables) to professionals in the building construction and automotive industries as well as other industries. The company′s chemicals activities are grouped together in the Caramba Holding GmbH (formerly known as Technicol Chemie Holding; the change in name took effect as of 1 November 2008). In fiscal year 2007/08 the combined Berner Group achieved net sales of 870 million euros.
More than 8000 employees in over 20 European countries –over 5500 of whom work in field sales – ensure that customers benefit from their partnership with Berner.