IK Investment Partners Takes Majority Stake In GHD GesundHeits

IK Investment Partners Wednesday said it has taken a majority stake in German homecare services company GHD GesundHeits GmbH Deutschland, in an effort to tap into growth being driven by an aging population and adding to the European private equity firm's healthcare portfolio.

IK Investment Partners bought the shares from Barclays Private Equity, part of Barclays PLC (BCS), in agreement with the company's founder and chief executive officer, Andreas Rudolph, who will continue to hold a "substantial shareholding." The price paid wasn't disclosed. The Ahrensberg-based company's expected revenue this year will come to around EUR300 million, IK Investment Partners said. Its business centers around supplying homecare patients with medicines and medical aids, including ostomy, liquid nutrition and cancer therapies.

The move is the latest by a private equity firm into Europe's homecare market, which is expected to register strong growth in the coming years as government health systems look for ways to control their costs and keep elderly patients within their homes for as long as possible.

Barclays Private Equity had taken its majority stake in August 2007 and the company has since made a series of acquisitions. IK Capital Tuesday said it sees further opportunities for organic growth and additional acquisitions in the coming years. Its other healthcare holdings include Colosseum Dental, a Scandinavian private dental care provider, and Welzorg, a mobility aids distributor in the Netherlands.

-By Margot Patrick, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]