Het Anker, ready for a 'golden' future

Het Anker, established in Mechelen city centre, is not just a brewery. Within the walls of the ‘Grand Beguinage’, designated a UNESCO world heritage site, stands not only the brewery but also a three-star hotel and a welcoming brasserie with a shop. Guide tours of the site are also organised.

The Mechelen family brewery that has been producing beer for five generations is known worldwide for its ‘Gouden Carolus’  specialty beers, which have won multiple awards. Since 2010, Het Anker has also been making single-malt whisky based on the mash from Gouden Carolus Tripel beer at De Molenberg distillery, the 17^th-century family farm in Blaasveld.

These successes did not happen just like that. To record this growth and further develop the activities, manager Charles Leclef sought advice from the firm’s main bank, BNP Paribas Fortis. The many years of cooperation, the bank’s knowledge of this sound Belgian SME and a shared vision of sustainability resulted in an even closer relationship. In June 2016, BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity joined the business via a capital increase. This gave Het Anker the financial scope to implement its expansion plans for the brewery and the distillery activities along sustainable lines. The cooperation with BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity led to further professionalisation in terms of reporting and governance, while still enabling the business to retain its family identity.

Supporting growth

Financing companies and supporting their growth: this is the aim of BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity. “We provide a financial input in the form of capital or mezzanine financing and we assist and support companies in the long term with the implementation of their strategy and business plan”, says Laurens Boriale, Investment Manager at BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity. “In every business, we strive to create value by offering our operational and financial skills, placing our international network at their disposal or enabling them to call upon our expertise, which we have built up over several decades.”

Family anchorage

Private Equity is an excellent way of investing in the real economy and reinforcing the SME fabric. What is more, it complements family shareholdings and bank financing. “Our investment is a solution to ensure that the business retains its family anchorage in the future. So the capital increase at Het Anker is a perfect illustration of the BNPP Fortis Private Equity investment approach.”

Fine outlook

Het Anker was immediately won over by the private equity idea. Charles Leclef: “We are grateful that the bank wants to work with us so closely and shares our vision of the future. Sustainability is a central concern for us, too. BNP Paribas Fortis has been our financial partner for over 30 years and once again this time, they thought very constructively and creatively about options for the further growth of Het Anker. I am convinced that the new investment round is preparing us for a ‘golden’ future led by the next generation.”