Following the earlier announcement in August, Office Depot Europe announced the completion of the sale of Viking and the Office Depot Europe operating business by AURELIUS to strategic buyer RAJA Group.
RAJA Group, present in 19 European countries and employing 3,000 people, is one of Europe’s leading distributor of packaging, and a major player in the office supplies and furniture market. RAJA said that the acquisition of Viking and the Office Depot Europe Contract business will support RAJA Group’s sales growth, customer base expansion and product diversification, and will allow the Group to strengthen its position and complete its geographical coverage in this strategic market.
Together with the family-owned RAJA Group, Office Depot Europe will continue to further accelerate its transformation programme Viking+. With a focus on its seven core markets of DACH, Benelux, UK and Ireland, Office Depot Europe is refocussing its business around its e-commerce focused omni-channel brand, Viking. The last months have seen significant progress in the programme and Office Depot Europe will continue the programme according to the roadmap and targets, the company said.
Raffael Reinhold, CEO of Office Depot Europe: “We are delighted that the transaction is successfully completed and we are now becoming part of the RAJA Group. This new set-up will further support our strategic transformation and ensure our long-term position as a successful and leading supplier of workplace solutions in the market.”
Danièle Kapel-Marcovici, RAJA Group CEO: “The completion of the transaction marks an important milestone as the acquisition of Viking | Office Depot Europe will strengthen our position in Europe. We are very happy to welcome the 1,500 new employees, who will add a wealth of experience and knowledge and will help us to realize our strategic ambition of becoming a global partner for companies from start-ups to major multinationals in the European office supplies market.”
