Montagu to auction bandage maker BSN Medical

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :05/09/2008 09:02:22

BSN Medical has been put up for sale by Montagu Private Equity, its UK-based private equity owner, which expects to receive the planned €1.8 to €1.9 billion at auction.

Montagu acquired the Hamburg-based bandage maker for €1.03 billion in 2005. The company was created in 2001 as a joint venture between Smith & Nephew plc and Beiersdorf AG.

BSN - which is one of the most valuable assets in Montagu’s portfolio - is most likely to be bought by another private equity house.

Potential bidders could include strategic buyers, such as 3M and Kimberly Clarke, and private equity groups with strong healthcare teams, such as Apax Partners and Bain Capital.

Montagu expects to sell BSN by the end of the first quarter 2009, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The private-equity firm declined to comment.