Vorwerk Ventures and Omnes Capital (formerly Credit Agricole Private Equity) to finance growth of Tennis-Point.de

Leading supplier of Tennis products is expanding internationally and into new business areas
Vorwerk Ventures and Omnes Capital (formerly Credit Agricole Private Equity) to finance growth of Tennis-Point.de

Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the Vorwerk Group, and Omnes Capital (formerly Credit Agricole Private Equity) are investing a mid-seven-figure sum in Tennis-Point GmbH (www.tennis-point.de), the e-commerce leader in the market segment for tennis equipment. Together with its new shareholders, the company aims to further strengthen its market position, drive the internationalisation of its business activities and branch out into a new business segment. The independent M&A- und Corporate Finance specialist Parklane Capital supported the tennis retailer and their shareholders during the corporate action.

„While we were responsible for the success and growth achieved in recent years, in order to embark on further international expansion and develop a branch network in Europe, we must now rely on the additional growth capital invested by our partners“, declared Maik Langenberg, Managing Director of Operations and Technology at Tennis-Point. „In Vorwerk Ventures and Omnes Capital we have found two experienced and well-respected partners to financially support our expansion, offer valuable know-how and provide network access.“

Clearly defined growth strategy

Tennis-Point has clearly defined objectives: over the next few months, the company aims to increase its presence in other European countries, ensuring widespread distribution and service. The online mail-order company already sells to 25 countries in Europe and operates its own service centre in 12 countries. Its website is currently available in eight languages in addition to German.
The company“s plans for expansion also include its new online shop for running fans – Jogging-Point (www.jogging-point.de), to which Tennis-Point is applying its successful tennis concept. Customers can already choose from over 10,000 products.

Awarded „Online Shop of the Year 2011“ for successful concept

Tennis-Point is setting new standards with its online shop to address customer needs, winning awards such as „Online Shop of the Year 2011“ and „Best Online Tennis Shop“. „For tennis fans and customers, choosing the right racket is much more than just a question of brand“, declared Christian Miele, Managing Director of Sales at Tennis-Point. „That“s why we are adopting a multi-channel strategy. Although Tennis-Point is primarily an e-commerce shop, we already run four retail outlets in Berlin, Hamburg, Münster and Graz in order to maintain direct contact with our customers. The same conditions and availability as for online customers apply – with the added bonus of personal service and advice.“ A catalogue sent out to fans and customers twice a year and a service hotline complete the range of Tennis-Point“s sales activities.

More Information about Tennis-Point.de, Jogging-Point.de and the Tennis-Point Shops are available on www.tennis-point.de and www.jogging-point.de.
About Tennis-Point

As a mail-order business for tennis equipment, Tennis-Point is one of the leading online providers in Europe. As one of the biggest online vendors, Tennis-Point (www.tennis-point.de) offers over 12,000 products and has reached more than 150,000 customers in recent months. Tennis-Point has been selling its products in 25 European countries since 2010 and is on the way to becoming the biggest European seller of tennis equipment. A number of awards such as „Online Shop of the Year 2011“ and „Shop Usability Award 2011“ in the category Sport & Outdoor are testament to this. Tennis-Point also has four specialist retail outlets in Münster, Berlin, Hamburg and Graz, where experienced sales staff offer expert advice to more than 10,000 customers.

About Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures

Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures is an investment entity within the Vorwerk Group. Its investment approach focuses on rapidly growing companies with direct-to-consumer business models. The corporate venture capital arm makes global investments and holds shares in companies in Germany, Austria and the US. The company“s portfolio includes leading companies such as DaWanda, Dinner-for-Dogs, ENJO, MeinAuto, Neato Robotics, pauldirekt, Ringana, Stowa and stylefruits.

About Omnes Capital (ex Credit Agricole Private Equity)

Omnes Capital is a major player in private equity, with a commitment to financing SMEs. With EUR1.9 billion in assets under management, Omnes Capital provides companies with the capital needed to finance their growth and with key expertise in a number of areas: mid-cap LBO & Expansion Capital, Venture Capital in technology and life sciences, Renewable Energy, Secondary Funds of Funds, Co-Investment. Omnes Capital, formerly Crédit Agricole Private Equity, was a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole until March 2012 when Coller Capital, the global leader in the secondary private equity market, acquired the company. Omnes Capital is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). www.omnescapital.com

About Parklane Capital

Parklane Capital is a specialist Investment and Corporate Finance advisory firm for growth companies in the Media, Internet, Technology, Telecommunications, Cleantech and Healthcare sectors. The partners of Parklane Capital have all previously founded or built significant high-growth businesses. Since its inception in 2004, Parklane Capital has successfully advised clients on over 50 transactions with valuations ranging between EUR 5 million (venture capital) and EUR 250 million (exits/ trade sales). Cross-border deals included transactions with eBay, AOL Time Warner, Experian, Medco Health Solutions and Mitsui.

Tennis-Point GmbH
Philipp Tippkemper
Mittelweg 99
59302 Oelde
+49 (2522) 83436-0

http://www.tennis-point.de
info@tennis-point.de

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Achim B.C. Karpf
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85614 Kirchseeon
achim.karpf@netpress.de
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