Nordstjernan invests in Bygghemma Group – the leading e-commerce home improvement and home furnishing company in the Nordic region

• Nordstjernan has acquired 88 percent of the shares in Bygghemma Group and will form a partnership with members of the management team who remain as owners

• Bygghemma Group is a Pan-Nordic e-commerce company that offers a broad range of well-known brands of home improvement and home furnishing products

• Bygghemma Group is the leading player in Sweden and Finland – the objective is to become market leader in all Nordic markets

Nordstjernan has acquired 88 percent of the shares in Bygghemma Group (“Bygghemma”) from a consortium of private investors. The remaining shares will then be owned by members of Bygghemma’s management team, who will remain as owners and enter into partnership with Nordstjernan. Nordstjernan has been monitoring Bygghemma’s strong performance for some time and helped the company with loan financing in the acquisition of the leading Finnish player, Netrauta.

“Nordstjernan will support Bygghemma’s continued growth, both organically and through additional acquisitions. Bygghemma is an excellent example of how our broad investment mandate, encompassing loan financing and share investment, can function. At present, we have SEK 4 billion in cash and are actively searching for new investments,” says Tomas Billing, President and CEO of Nordstjernan.

Bygghemma is the leading e-commerce home improvement company in the Nordic region, offering a broad range of branded products and approximately 100,000 articles. The company also successfully sells furniture, couches and beds through the e-store Trademax. During recent years, the company has shown strong organic growth, of approximately 50 percent per year, and will have sales of some SEK 1.3 billion this year.

“Bygghemma is a truly exciting company for us in many ways. We have longstanding experience of the construction industry and we believe that there are major opportunities for an increase in e-commerce involving home improvement and home furnishing,” says Tomas Billing, President and CEO of Nordstjernan.

“With its financial strength, industry expertise and long-term commitment, Nordstjernan is the perfect partner for us. We will now continue our expansion effort with the objective to become market leader in all Nordic markets. We will expand our offer by adding attractive products and additional service so that we can offer our customers the best value for money,” says Mikael Olander, President of Bygghemma.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the conditions of the transaction.

Questions will be answered by:

Tomas Billing, President and CEO of Nordstjernan
Telephone +46 (0)8 788 50 18
E-mail: tomas.billing@nordstjernan.se

Mikael Olander, President of Bygghemma Group
Telephone +46 (0)491 45 45 97
E-mail: Mikael.Olander@bygghemma.se

Nordstjernan is a family-controlled investment company that creates growth in value through active ownership of Nordic companies. Investments are to be long-term. More information on Nordstjernan is available at www.nordstjernan.se

Bygghemma Group is an e-commerce company that offers a broad range of well-known brands of building and interior design products. Bygghemma.se was founded in 2006 and has expanded into a Pan-Nordic Group with e-stores in Sweden (www.bygghemma.se, www.badshop.se, www.golvshop.se), Finland (www.taloon.com, www.netrauta.fi), Denmark (www.byghjemme.dk) and Norway (www.bygghjemme.no). The Group also includes the e-commerce furniture store Trademax (www.trademax.se)