Private equity firm Waterland Ireland said today it will commit €250m to support the growth and expansion of Irish businesses over the next 18 months.
Waterland Ireland said it will provide ambitious management teams with the capital, expertise and international network needed to scale their operations and pursue new opportunities.
The new commitment comes as Waterland’s Irish portfolio continues to demonstrate strong growth.
Since entering the Irish market in 2020, the firm has partnered with a growing number of businesses here, helping them expand both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
These companies have collectively increased revenues since their partnerships began with Waterland by almost an additional €600m to €1.15 billion. They have also created more than 2,200 additional jobs through 41 acquisitions.
Waterland said it is interested in partnering with businesses benefiting from long-term structural growth trends including digitalisation, manufacturing, engineering, sustainability, outsourcing, healthcare and demographic change.
The firm recently announced a partnership with Primeline Group, a provider of supply chain, logistics, sales and marketing services, to support the next phase of the company’s growth strategy.
Backed by Waterland, Primeline plans to grow revenues to more than €500m over the next five years through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, while increasing its workforce by 500 to about 2,000 employees.
The firm also recently announced the sale of Wtech Fire Group, marking its first Irish exit since partnering with the business in 2021 to deliver an ambitious growth programme.
During this period, Wtech completed 13 strategic acquisitions and established a leading international fire safety platform, underpinned by strong organic growth and a clear buy-and-build strategy.
“This commitment reflects our continued confidence in Ireland as a source of ambitious, high-quality businesses with significant growth potential,” Laura Dillon, Partner at Waterland Ireland, said.
“We see strong opportunities across a range of sectors, particularly in fragmented markets where businesses can scale through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions,” Ms Dillon said.
“Our focus continues to be on partnering with management teams, entrepreneurs and family-owned companies to help them accelerate their growth ambitions, expand into new markets and build stronger, more competitive businesses,” she said.
“Importantly, we want to help Irish-headquartered companies grow into leading European players while maintaining their roots and creating long-term value here in Ireland,” she added.
