In a latest development, one.com, a leading European provider of web hosting services, has recently announced the acquisition of Netherlands-based Hostnet for an undisclosed amount.
This transaction is the third major acquisition as part of one.com’s ‘buy and build’ strategy that started under Cinven’s ownership, following the acquisitions of SYSE in February 2020 and Digital Garden in September 2019.
Why the acquisition?
Stephan Wolfram, Group CEO of one.com, explained:
“We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Hostnet given its focus on operational excellence and high brand awareness. As a result of this transaction, we are now a leading operator in the Dutch hosting market that is core to the development of our business strategy.”
Web hosting provider focused on SMEs!
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Hostnet is a leading web hosting provider in the Netherlands with a hosting-led proposition focused on SMEs.
It employs approximately 130 staff and serves over 210,000 customers. In particular, Hostnet is focused on mass-hosting with a product suite that targets both non-technical and technical users, including domain-only, web hosting, WordPress, email hosting, Office 365, and Virtual Private Servers (‘VPS’) on both a Managed and an unmanaged basis.
Harold Douwes, Founder and CEO of Hostnet said:
“Hostnet is a highly regarded player in the hosting market with capabilities, awareness, and products that will contribute to accelerating the development of one.com’s business further. Within the consolidating hosting market, it was important for Hostnet to connect with a strong partner. We found it in one.com, an ambitious party with a lot of knowledge and experience. This offers plenty of possibilities and opportunities for the future.”
Aims to strengthen its market position!
According to one.com, both organisations benefit from an exceptional degree of similarity and overlap, including mass hosting products with a focus on reliability and quality of product and service, rapid historical organic-only growth, cultural proximity.
One.com’s ambition is to grow further and to strengthen its market position in the Nordics, the Benelux, the United Kingdom, the DACH region, and the other European regions. Through the partnership with Hostnet, one.com has a strong platform to further expand its presence in the Benelux and the range of services.
Thomas Railhac, Partner at Cinven commented:
“Cinven has a strong track record of successfully growing businesses through a structured buy and build strategy. We are excited about this acquisition as it represents a milestone for one.com becoming a market leader in the Dutch region, and is a clear example of the Group’s ambitious future growth plans.”
Unlocked a new growth under Cinven!
Established in 2002 in Denmark by Jacob Jensen, one.com has experienced constant, rapid, organic-only growth. In February 2019, Cinven acquired a majority stake in one.com, unlocking a new growth lever, and has backed one.com’s acquisitions of Digital Garden, SYSE and Cliche Hosting. Today, one.com Group has more than 1,000,000 customers and 1,500,000 subscriptions across multiple countries.
Main image credits: One.com
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news
