The British caterer Compass Group is acquiring the Dutch counterpart Vermaat Groep. The company is paying 1.5 billion euros to Vermaat’s current owner, the British investor Bridgepoint. Vermaat Groep is a co-owner of the La Place restaurants.
The acquisition by Compass Group still needs to be approved by regulators. The British buyers want Vermaat Groep to remain an independent player in Europe.
Vermaat is one of the largest caterers in the Netherlands. Besides La Place, they also cater for companies and restaurants in hospitals. The group, together with supermarket Jumbo, is a shareholder in the restaurants of La Place. Furthermore, the company owns the retail and catering chain STACH.
The company started in 1978 as a delicatessen shop in Utrecht and grew into a major player in the catering world of the Netherlands and beyond. The company is also active in France and Germany.
According to Compass, Vermaat has 8,800 employees and over 700 locations.