Houlihan Lokey Advises Scitec

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Scitec International S.à.r.l. (Scitec), a portfolio company of Ascendis Health Ltd. (Ascendis), has been acquired by BioTech USA Kft. (BioTech). The transaction closed on 29 July 2020.

Founded in 1996, Scitec is one of the largest and most international sports nutrition brands in Europe, with sales in 2019 of c. €77 million.

It has grown into a global sports nutrition supplements brand with more than 700 product variants, 135 proprietary flavouring systems, and distribution in more than 90 countries. It has more than 550 employees and is one of the largest whey protein consumers in the world, selling 120 million servings annually. In recent years, the company has transformed into a consumer-driven organisation and is now moving to the next level with focus on e-commerce.

Ascendis is a South African health and wellness company founded in 2008 and listed on the JSE.

Today, Ascendis has a global reach with well-known brands and products sold to more than 120 countries across all continents.

Headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, BioTech is one of the largest and dynamically growing dietary supplement manufacturers for sports purposes in Europe. It offers high-quality food supplements, dietary products, and more than 40 vitamin products. Products are sold in 70 countries through a well-developed distribution network and 130 franchise stores.

The transaction is subject to lender approval and completion of the carve-out of two noncore companies and is expected to close in Q2 2020.

This recent transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey's leadership in the branded health and wellness space—following the sale of foodspring to Mars—and highlights continued momentum in the food and beverage sector.