On 2 February this year, the company was bought by strategic industrial investor Byggfakta Group, based in Ljusdal, Sweden. The buyer is an operator of a digital platform offering solutions that connect participants in the construction supply chain. It is a company with extensive experience and a strong international presence, employing more than 1,800 people in its offices around the world.

As Piotr Miller, partner at Avallon MBO points out, the attractiveness of Marketplanet has grown every year. – During the course of our investment, the IT world changed completely and migration to the cloud and software as a service became an everyday matter of course. Markeplanet has flawlessly taken advantage of this wind in its sails over the past 3‑4 years. Another decision that redefined this company was its entry into the public sector solutions market as part of the electronification of public procurement. When we invested in Marketplanet, we knew that this process had to happen, but as usual with the implementation of EU directives it was delayed until the last moment.  Our knowledge of the market and close monitoring of emerging trends allowed the company to develop a proprietary solution – the OnePlace platform – which allowed us to effectively combine the needs of companies looking for reliable sources of materials and services with suppliers looking for new opportunities to sell their products/services.  In 2023, we decided to do something unusual – usually starting an exit process means putting a company’s acquisition projects on hold. As we were alone in the process, we completed the acquisition of Smart PZP, which further strengthened our position in the public procurement sector, explains Piotr Miller.

– We have built a solid basis for growth for the investor – access to new markets, potential for commercialisation of the supplier base for which the company is creating the OnePlace service offering.  The company is well‑positioned to meet customer expectations around the increasing digitisation of business processes, particularly those as important as purchasing, which have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the business, he adds.

Following the exit from Marketplanet, the portfolios of the Avallon MBO fund include 10 other companies: Wosana and Hortimex – from the food industry, Clovin – a company producing cleaning products, marketing company EDC Expert, Globema provider of geospatial software and IT services, mobile home manufacturer Letniskowo, Norlys – manufacturer of high‑quality outdoor luminaires, lighting equipment, TES – manufacturer of electrical machinery and components, and SAT company – owner of S’portofino, a chain of shops in the sport & fashion segment, and MPPK Group – supplier of premium dog and cat food (awaiting approval from the OCCP).