Invera Private Equity Fund takes over a majority stake in Marles Hiše Maribor

Invera Private Equity Fund, based in the Netherlands, acquired a 58.2% stake in Marles Hiše Maribor d.o.o., the largest and oldest manufacturer of prefabricated wooden houses and buildings in the region. Invera aims to further strengthen the position of the company and its operations in existing markets (most notably Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany), leverage its potential in cooperation with industry experts, increase production capacities, and open new opportunities in existing and new markets.

Ljubljana, 21 January 2022The ownership change represents an opportunity for Marles Hiše Maribor d.o.o. to further expand its operations and therefore not only strengthen its position as the leading manufacturer of prefabricated wooden houses and buildings in Slovenia and the region but also become an important player in Central Europe. The strategic investment by Invera will be reflected in additional employment, a higher level of investments, and further increase of business operations in the future, especially in the markets of Western Europe.

“We are very proud of our investment in Marles Hiše and plan to support the company to further expand its operations, especially in the demanding Western markets. We want the company to become a key player in the production of prefabricated wooden houses and buildings and prefabricated wooden elements in the German, Austrian, and Swiss regions and beyond,” said Janez Škrubej, partner at Invera Equity Partners, a fund management company.

Management of Marles Hiše stated, “The vision of Marles Hiše is to become a leader in the prefabricated wooden manufacturing and construction industry in Central Europe. Invera, which we assess as a strategic financial investor, has recognized great potential in us and will support us to achieve our goal of growth in foreign markets and increase production capacities.”

The Board of Directors of Marles d.d., who made the decision to sell its stake to Invera, sees this as a good business move for all stakeholders, while at the same time ensuring long-term business cooperation with its company Marles PSP.

The 41.8% stake in Marles Hiše is held by the company Investma, owned by Leopold Poljanšek, who thus remains an important shareholder in the company.

About Invera Private Equity Fund

Invera Private Equity Fund is a EUR 60 million PE fund headquartered in the Netherlands and focusing on the region of Southeastern Europe as its core investment territory. Invera’s investor base is made up solely of large, reputable institutional investors (EIF, EBRD, pension and investment funds). Invera Equity Partners, fund manager of Invera Private Equity Fund, is seeking to acquire controlling interests in small and mid-sized enterprises, via buyout or capital increase (or both), with the goal of achieving new levels of corporate strategy, market access, and technology. Currently, the fund has offices in Amsterdam, Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Sarajevo.

About Marles Hiše Maribor d.o.o.

With c. EUR 30m+ of annual consolidated sales, Marles Hiše Maribor is the largest and most important Slovenian manufacturer of prefabricated wooden houses and buildings. As a leading company in its industry, Marles Hiše Maribor has been dictating the guidelines of prefabricated wooden construction for decades and is also the largest exporter among Slovenian manufacturers of prefabricated wooden houses and buildings. The company also made a successful business breakthrough in the Swiss, German, Austrian, and Italian markets. In the development and construction of its facilities, it follows the norms of environmental acceptability, energy saving, earthquake safety, fire protection and modern spatial arrangements, and the highest ecological standards, within which the company constantly nurtures existing potentials and introduces new ones for a successful future.

Marles Hiše Maribor offers a wide range of tailor-made high-quality products, from turnkey to semi-finished prefabricated wooden products such as individual houses, commercial and residential buildings, modular buildings, and public facilities such as schools and kindergartens.

The company is especially proud of its production in which more than 27,000 individual facilities and more than 380 kindergartens and schools have been built.