Mid Europa Partners, a private equity firm focused on Central Europe and Turkey, is to acquire Centrul Medical Unirea S.R.L. (“Regina Maria” or the “Company”). The transaction is subject to anti-trust clearance and is expected to close in Q4 2015.
With approximately 300,000 corporate subscribers, the Company is the leading premium integrated private healthcare services operator in Romania with a national presence through 22 polyclinics, 4 hospitals, 11 labs and 5 imaging facilities.
Matthew Strassberg (pictured), Senior Partner of Mid Europa who founded and leads Mid Europa's healthcare sector practice, says: “The acquisition of Regina Maria underscores the firm’s continued focus on identifying attractive healthcare businesses in our Region, where, once this acquisition is completed, we will have made equity investments of €0.5 billion in the sector. We have been actively monitoring the Romanian healthcare market for several years now and believe that it is poised for sustained growth and consolidation. Mid Europa has a strong track record of building true national champions, such as LUXMED in Poland and we are enthusiastic about supporting Regina Maria’s strong and proven management with our expertise and financial resources.”
Nikolaus Bethlen, Partner of Mid Europa, who leads Mid Europa’s activities in Romania, adds: “Regina Maria, with its leading brand, first class facilities and strong reputation for medical excellence represents an ideal entry platform to capitalise on the significant growth opportunities in the Romanian healthcare market. The Company has a rapidly growing corporate and private pay patient base serviced through a well-managed integrated platform providing national reach. We look forward to supporting the Company through capital investments for organic and acquisitive growth.”
Fady Chreih, the CEO of Regina Maria, says: “We are pleased to welcome Mid Europa as a strong and highly reputable investor who shares our vision and values. With their backing, we are well placed to further accelerate Regina Maria’s growth trajectory and capitalise on expansion opportunities. We believe that Mid Europa’s long-standing track record in the sector will be instrumental for the Company’s continued success.”
The transaction was executed by Csanad Daniel, Tas Tobias, Albert Jelinek and Bartosz Malecki from Mid Europa, with White & Case and Bondoc & Asociatii as legal advisers, EY as financial adviser and Banca Comerciala Romana (Erste Group) as M&A adviser. Erste Group provided debt financing, acting as the sole underwriter of the acquisition facility.
