Buysse & Partners takes over forklift distributor Mabo.

Buysse & Partners takes over forklift distributor Mabo.

Investment house Buysse & Partners becomes majority shareholder of forklift specialist Mabo Group. The Mariën-Bouwens family, together with key management members, holds the remainder of the shares. Sofindev sells its entire stake in Mabo Lifting, five years after entering the company. 

Mabo Group, founded in 1987, is an importer and distributor of specialized forklifts such as sideloaders, truck-mounted forklifts, narrow aisle forklifts, etc. Through its exclusive partnerships with Combilift, Moffett/Kooiaap, Aisle Master, Bauman, Innolift and Hyundai, Mabo Lifting has become the reference in the Benelux region for space-saving and efficiency-enhancing forklifts. In addition to sales, Mabo Group also focuses strongly on after-sales service and rental of forklifts, which enables the company to optimally support its customers throughout the entire life cycle of its products. The company employs around 75 people and achieved a turnover of 35 million euros in 2023.

Together with Maarten Mariën-Bouwens, CEO of Mabo Group, Buysse & Partners wants to help shape the next growth phase of the company. ‘With Mabo Group we want to focus on organic growth with the current product range in the Benelux region, but strategic acquisitions are also possible for the company to expand the range & expertise or strengthen our position in certain markets,’ explains Edgar Hujoel, partner at Buysse & Partners.

The automation activity under Mabo E&A will become independent under the leadership of the Mariën-Bouwens family.

Buysse & Partners was advised in this transaction by Simmons & Simmons and LDS Advisory. Sofindev and the Mariën-Bouwens family by Kumulus Partners, Argo Law, and Deloitte.