The sale of the novia Group, an expert in global sourcing solutions, to Bufab AB finalises Family Trust's strategy, which began in July 2021, to develop the novia Group into a comprehensive one-stop shop for global procurement solutions as part of group building.

The Reed Smith team advising on the deal was led by Munich based Global Corporate Group partner Dr. Nikolaus von Jakobs and associate Matthias Weingut.

They were supported by Robert Werzlau (associate, corporate, Munich), Nina Siewert (partner, tax, Frankfurt), Carina Klessing (associate, tax, Frankfurt), Dr. Michaela Westrup (partner, antitrust, Munich), Celia Xu (associate, corporate, Shanghai), Eric Lin (partner, corporate, Shanghai), and Katherine Yang (counsel, corporate, Shanghai).

Swiss law firm Vischer advised on matters relating to Swiss law.

von Jacobs said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Family Trust in implementing its group-building strategy. We would also like to express our gratitude for the reliable and productive cooperation on all sides, having already advised Family Trust on previous deals.”

“The transaction with Bufab confirms the strategic work we have invested in building and transforming the novia Group. We have strengthened the company's operational structure and achieved a market-leading position with attractive sales growth through targeted acquisitions,” said Family Trust Partner Andreas Augustin about the transaction, which aims to create an integrated global sourcing champion in a short period of time.

“The partnership with Family Trust enabled us to grow strategically and also supported us in integrating our operating units. The successful transfer to Bufab is now the logical and promising next step,” says Markus Bauer, Managing Director of the novia Group.

“With its attractive position in the value chain and its strong offering to a diverse European customer base, the novia Group brings important new capabilities to the Bufab Group,” explains Erik Lundén, President and CEO of the Bufab Group.