Anticimex

About Anticimex

Anticimex's business model is built on service contracts, and different types of insurance contracts, bringing predictable and recurring revenues.

The mission is to provide preventive pest control solutions to both companies and consumers. This translates into providing consumers and businesses with "peace of mind' and a pest free indoor environment and safeguarding industries' food production.

Anticimex was founded in Sweden in 1934 as a family business and the company name is Latin for "against bedbugs". In 1973, the company ventured into Norway and in the 1990s, hygiene solutions for food shops, restaurants and industries were developed. In the 2000s, Anticimex expanded into Denmark, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

During EQT's ownership Anticimex have completed more than 200 add-on acquisitions and expanded the geographical presence from being in five countries in northern Europe to being in 18 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US. In addition, Anticimex has established its position as the frontrunner in digital pest control and has more than 150,000 SMART devices installed globally. In 2019, the combined sales amounted to approximately SEK 8.0bn (EUR 800m).

Market trends and drivers

The global pest control market is growing at a rate above GDP driven by increased frequency of pest – which in turn is fuelled by increased travelling, urbanization, and warmer climate – as well as new and stricter regulation for hygiene standards. The market is characterized by its mission critical nature.

Investment potential

When acquired by EQT, Anticimex had been growing steadily for 77 consecutive years. The business is solutions oriented with a scalable business model, and the market provides good opportunities for growth both organically and through acquisitions. The European pest control market is highly fragmented with the top two players representing less than one fifth of the market. The sector is supported by solid fundamentals where contracts are subscription-based and the services/solutions are often mission critical for the customer. In addition to the above, the value creation plan also includes a further expansion of the service offering and cross-selling initiatives as well as a continued extension of partnerships.