Roca Group

The Roca Group, a world leader in the design, production and marketing of products for the bathroom space, strengthens its position as a global operator with the acquisition of the German manufacturer Sanit, specialised in sanitaryware installation systems.

With this deal, which is pending approval by the competition authorities, Roca Group, which operates in 170 countries and has 85 factories, will reinforce its presence in a category in which Sanit is the third largest operator in Germany and the fifth largest in Europe. Alantra has been Roca Group’s advisor in this transaction, and Allen & Overy has been the legal advisor.

The pre-wall installation systems segment -which includes concealed tanks, push-buttons and mounting frames- is growing rapidly and has been driven by the increasing use of wall-hung toilets. Currently, the global market in this category, led by Germany, is experiencing significant increases in all countries in line with the preferences of today's consumers, who are increasingly opting for solutions that favour space, hygiene and comfort.

Sanit, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Eisenberg, is part of Aliaxis, a global leader in advanced piping systems with presence in more than 40 countries. The company has three production sites in Germany, located in Eisenberg, Rödental and Wittenberg. These centres, which employ 378 professionals, export to more than 70 countries and manufacture, in addition to the aforementioned categories, accessories and complements for the assembly and installation of bathroom space products. The company's turnover amounted to 74 million euros in 2020.

As part of the group's strategy to set up specialised competence centres for different product categories in the bathroom, Sanit will become the development hub for Roca Group's installation systems.

Roca Group`s CEO, Albert Magrans, highlighted the positive synergies of the transaction: "The acquisition of Sanit is a fundamental step in our strategy of integrating products into complete bathroom solutions and incorporating high value-added technology into our product portfolio, thereby strengthening our global leadership".