NederlandsIT branch of BT Group continues independently with investor
BT Group, a printer supplier and office furnisher, has sold its IT division to the Amsterdam investment company Riverdam.
For BT Group, the deal is part of its strategy to focus more on its services, owner Bas Augustijn explains. “With the sale of our IT branch, we can further specialize in furnishing offices with ergonomic furniture and supplying printer and document solutions.”
The company has been active since 1988, when it was founded under the name Touw Office Systems. In 2007 it merged with Brabant Kantoor Contact to form the current BT Groep. In 2009, an IT practice was added to the ranks, which received a significant boost in 2013 when it took over O-ICT.
Eleven years after starting its own IT services, BT Group is now saying goodbye to the IT practice, relying on external partners and the cloud to support its infrastructure.
BT Groep ICT, which now operates independently, can now “grow faster and further professionalize the organization” as a result of the split, says Luuk Carpaij, director of BT Groep ICT. The company focuses especially on digitizing workplaces and developing and implementing cloud IT solutions for small to medium-sized companies, mainly in the central and south of the Netherlands.
Opportunities in the market
Carpaij sees plenty of opportunities in the market. “Due to the pandemic, we have started working from home much more and this will continue to be the case for a large part of the Netherlands’ working population in the future. The demand for online workplace management is therefore increasing enormously. Our cloud IT solutions ensure that employees can work safely and carefree anywhere.”
For the still relatively young Riverdam (the investor was founded by Derk van Wingerden and Manuel Leussink during the Covid-19 pandemic), the transaction represents the company’s individual participation in the ICT sector.
During the transaction, buyer Riverdam received advice from Vesper Advocaten, KD Legal and Zuidbroek Notarissen. Vendor BT Group was financially supported by Wave Corporate Finance.