Acquisition of a majority shareholding in one of the global leaders in brand experience
Munich, 25 September 2019 – Funds advised by EMH Partners invest in the market for brand experiences and purchase a majority shareholding in Avantgarde Gesellschaft für Kommunikation (“Avantgarde”). The previous growth investor sells its minority shareholding as part of the transaction. Funds advised by EMH Partners further purchase a minor part of the shareholding of the Avantgarde management team, which will continue to own a significant minority shareholding going-forward.
Avantgarde, founded in 1985 by Martin Schnaack, is Germany’s leading service provider in the field of brand experiences. The company is a pioneer, when it comes to making brands come to life for consumers. Besides its headquarters in Munich, Avantgarde has five other offices in Germany as well as in Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Dubai, China and Brazil. Via its international offices, the company can offer its customers, which are comprised mainly of blue-chip corporations, a truly global location network.
“We have found our perfect partner in EMH Partners,” says Martin Schnaack, founder and CEO of Avantgarde. “EMH Partner’s entrepreneurial approach as well as their passion for our digital tools to collect data and measure success in the field of brand experiences have really convinced us to partner with them. EMH Partners shares our view on the rapidly rising market for brand experiences and supports our ambition to expand our leading market position, also internationally.”
Avantgarde achieved net sales of more than EUR 80 Million in 2018. For the current financial year, the company forecasts to achieve strong, profitable growth versus prior year. Avantgarde employs more than 750 experts worldwide from the fields of creation, consulting, digital and social media, AR/VR, architecture, events, project management, sponsoring, trade, film and trend research. Moreover, Avantgarde offers its customers end-to-end solutions in the field of operating services, especially in the area of Retail-as-a-Service (RaaS) for the physical presence of brands and products. Furthermore, Avantgarde offers recruiting services via its business unit Avantgarde Experts and develops its own proprietary software and data analytics tools, to make live brand experiences measurable and offer insights for optimization.
„The brand experience market promises strong growth and great digitalization potential in the future. Thus, it is a highly attractive field for investments. Avantgarde is ideally positioned as one of the market leaders in the field, especially when it comes to conceptualization and implementation of unique consumer experiences for global brands. Plus, it is a pioneer in the field of Retail-as-a-Service,” says Dr. Thomas von Werner of EMH Partners. “Moreover, Avantgarde offers proprietary software and data analytics that help to make brand experiences measurable, and support brands to convert and retain their customers.”
The parties involved have agreed to keep the terms of the investment confidential. Avantgarde is the seventh investment of funds advised by EMH Partners. Previous investments contain among others: Brainlab, a global leader of software-driven medical technology, Occhio, a German manufacturer of high-quality lighting, as well as Design Offices, the German industry leader in the corporate coworking sector.
About Avantgarde
Avantgarde is a global brand experience service provider that strategically advises international brands. For its clients, the company conceptualizes innovative experiences that create unique and memorable moments for consumers. More than 750 experts worldwide from the fields of creation, consulting, digital and social media, AR/VR, architecture, events, project management, sponsoring, trade, film and trend research work together on their mission to create true brand fans. Avantgarde creates brand content, that cannot only be digitally shared, but also fosters brand awareness and creates brand recognition beyond borders. Through its innovative evaluation processes as well as proprietary software and data analytics, Avantgarde is not only able to make the impact of brand experiences measurable, but also to unearth potential for optimization.
For further information, please visit www.avantgarde.net