Dematra, based in Nazareth (Belgium), was founded by the De Jaeger family in 1976. The company generates a turnover of ~€25m and specializes in the storage and fine-meshed distribution of food and non-food products in the Benelux. The company employs about 120 people spread over 3 sites in the industrial zone De Prijkels (Nazareth, Deinze and Kruisem) and 1 site in Roeselare, representing a total of 80,000 pallet spaces.
"Our customers are growing like never before. To support them even better, we want to further expand our sites and service, which will require the necessary investments in the coming years. To this end, we have engaged Waterland as a partner to assist us in this."
- Geert De Jaeger, CEO
Dematra realized accelerated growth due to strong market demand for quality logistics services. The company's strategy is based on the complete logistics unburdening of the customer through the unique combination of warehousing and fine-mesh distribution, developing long-term relationships with its employees and customers, and offering excellent service. The De Jaeger family has attracted Waterland as a financial partner to accelerate Dematra's growth: Waterland will provide additional financial resources and strategic support. In this context, investments will include the expansion of the current storage and distribution capacity and the development of a 4th site at industrial zone De Prijkels. In addition, Dematra wishes to accelerate its own development by cooperating with other logistics service providers.
The current Dematra team, led by the De Jaeger family, including brothers Geert and Stefaan De Jaeger and 3rd generation member Cedric De Jaeger, remains fully on board to continue the growth in the coming years.
"For Waterland, the investment in Dematra fits perfectly into our strategy of investing in growing, quality companies that have the ambition to become leaders in their sector."
- Cedric Van Cauwenberghe, Managing Partner Waterland Private Equity
Founded in 1976 by the De Jaeger family, Dematra(www.dematra.be) specializes in the storage and fine-mesh distribution of food and non-food products. The company's headquarters is located in Nazareth. From 4 different logistics sites, Dematra takes care of its customers with the help of ~120 employees.
Waterland(www.waterland.be) is an independent Belgian-Dutch investment company that assists entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions. With substantial financial resources and specific market knowledge, Waterland enables its participations to grow faster both organically and through acquisitions. Waterland provides active financial, strategic and operational support. Waterland has offices in more than 9 European countries and currently manages committed assets in excess of €8.5 billion.
