European Imaging Group acquires majority stake in Dutch-based CameraNU

European Imaging Group, an AURELIUS subsidiary, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired a majority stake in Netherlands-based CameraNU, a specialist omnichannel retailer of cameras and associated products, from its founding shareholders.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

Photo and video specialist

Founded by Johan van Slooten and Wilco de Vries in 2003, CameraNU claims to have become the largest independent omnichannel specialist retailer of cameras and associated products in the Netherlands. It has a comprehensive product portfolio for amateur, semi-professional, and professional photographers and videographers. 

The company claims that becoming a photo and video specialist in the Netherlands takes a lot of time, work, and development

Currently, the company operates via an online platform and its six destination retail stores located across the Netherlands in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Eindhoven, Groningen, Rotterdam, and Urk.

Following a pan-European growth strategy, EIG and AURELIUS’ team will support CameraNU in leveraging its potential as a multi-channel retailer and further enhance the company’s operational processes.

Aim of this acquisition

CameraNU claims to have witnessed strong growth under its current shareholders, with revenues in excess of €65M.

With this acquisition, the European Imaging Group is looking to further strengthen its position in Benelux and work with the business to drive growth during its next phase of development

Matthias Täubl, CEO of AURELIUS, says, “We are looking forward to leveraging CameraNU’s significant growth potential. The acquisition creates opportunities to strengthen the market-leading positions of three pan-European players in the photo and video market under the umbrella of European Imaging Group at once: CameraNU, Calumet, and Wex. Once again, this add-on acquisition of one of our portfolio companies is strengthened by AURELIUS’ team of investment and operational experts which are the key to our success.”

Within the European Imaging Group, CameraNU will continue its growth and will benefit from EIG’s businesses Calumet Photographic and Wex Photo Video, both strong European players in the photo and video retail sector.

Imaging group for photographers and videographers

European Imaging Group (EIG) is the holding company for a suite of brands and companies in the imaging sector. The Group was formed in 2016 when Aurelius acquired Calumet Photographic and Wex Photo Video shortly thereafter. It has since grown organically and through M&A, generating revenues in excess of €200M across the UK, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

The company says it sells a range of products via online stores and 18 physical shops staffed by industry experts. Through a combination of product expansion, new geographies, and omnichannel investment, EIG aims to strengthen its position as the number one imaging retailer in Europe.