A/S Baltic Control Group Ltd. is a Danish family business that since 1980 has assisted customers around the world with inspection and quality control in connection with global trade.

The business areas have continuously expanded to include laboratory testing and control of certification schemes in many different types of goods, services and processes, with food products and the related industry being a core competence.

In other words, Baltic Control Group is a Danish TIC company and specializes in Test, Inspection and Certification. It has more than 180 employees and a large number of global partners.

Baltic Control Group sold via M&A advisor

As a result of a structured sales process, Baltic Control Group has been sold to the French group Apave International, which has 13,000 employees worldwide.

Claus Bruun and Klaus Termansen from Business Broker assisted siblings Martin E. Pedersen and Karina E. Nielsen in the sale of the company originally established by their father, offering grain inspection services for shipments across the Baltic Sea more than 40 years ago – hence the name Baltic Control.

"Apave and Baltic Control Group are a great match and have the same business DNA. Baltic Control has experienced organic growth all these years and by becoming part of Apave, Baltic Control gets the opportunity to accelerate growth and offer employees further opportunities in a larger organization," emphasizes Klaus Termansen.

Danish TIC company acquired by French group

The synergy effect for Apave International primarily consists of direct access to Baltic Control Group's specialized competencies within the entire value chain in the food industry.

The sale of the Danish group takes place in a market characterized by consolidation, competition and many large players. In this context, Klaus Termansen describes Baltic Control Group - which in itself has shown great historical results - as a "diamond in the rough" with even greater potential with the right future owner.

From Business Broker , the sale of Baltic Control is a task that has encompassed all facets of a structured sales process.

Claus Bruun and Klaus Termansen handled the entire sales process. From a broad search for suitable buyer candidates worldwide to the completion of the sale. As part of the assignment, Business Broker organized presentations where the shortlisted buyer candidates met with the sellers for a dialogue about future scenarios, including further confirmation of match and personal chemistry, but also optimization of indicative bids on price and terms.

After that, the field narrowed down to Apave Group.

Sale of business – Business Broker the way for purchase agreement

The sellers of Baltic Control Group are extremely satisfied with the sale to Apave Group and the concrete solution that their business brokers from Business Brokers helped to negotiate.

"We wanted to sell to a company that is both reputable and can take Baltic Control to the next level. Business Broker Baltic Control's DNA and managed to pave the way for a deal with a buyer that fit in with our way of doing business. Apave is absolutely ideal. They are a high-end brand," says Karina E. Nielsen.

Professional business brokers in due diligence

Both sellers of Baltic Control Group look back on the sales process as a time characterized by both headwinds and tailwinds. Seller Martin E. Pedersen says about the negotiation phase:

"It has been a challenging process. Particularly during due diligence, where the buyer asked far more in-depth questions about our company than I had anticipated. It was a great relief that we had Business Broker ensure oversight and progress, as Karina and I were already busy running our business."

According to Karina E. Nielsen, Business Brokers expertise was particularly valuable during due diligence.

"Claus and Klaus have a black belt in economics. This is of great importance for us to achieve the attractive solution we have ended up with," she says.

"We couldn't have landed a deal without Business Broker. I have no doubt about that," adds her brother Martin E. Pedersen.

Baltic Control Group continues as an independent brand and company in the Apave Group. Karina E. Nielsen and Martin E. Pedersen will continue as CEOs of their respective branches of the company.