Simpson Thacher represented Sereni, a portfolio company backed by Netley Capital, Around Partners, Vermec NV and All Seas Capital, in connection with a unitranche financing for Sereni’s acquisition of and merger with Funeral Partners.
Sereni and Funeral Partners are combining forces, creating one of Europe’s largest funeral groups with operations in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland. Together, the two companies will serve more than 75,000 funerals and 46,000 cremations a year with 3,100 employees.
Headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, Sereni is a fast-growing funeral services platform spearheading the consolidation of the highly fragmented markets in Belgium, Germany, and Poland, supported by a track record of successful acquisitions of independent practices. Founded in 2016, Sereni was created with the dual vision of (i) creating a leading consolidator in the market and (ii) enhancing the customer experience and quality of service in an evolving funeral services sector. Sereni expanded progressively via the roll-up of independent funeral service providers, initially in Belgium and expanded to Germany and Poland, to become a leading consolidating platform in the sector. Today, the Group is the top 2 in Belgium and top 1 player in Germany, delivering over 45,000 funeral services per annum, across over 450 locations.
Funeral Partners was founded in 2007 and, with around 300 funeral homes and almost 1,300 employees, is one of the largest funeral providers in the United Kingdom. The company supports around 30,000 funerals per annum.
The Simpson Thacher team included Hadrien Servais, Eline Souffriau and Kacper Sztejter (Credit).