Vanheede Environment Group has acquired Soret

January 2023 — Vanheede Environment Group has acquired Soret, a well-known Belgian family business specialized in waste collection and processing.

Vanheede Environment Group is the largest independent family-owned player in Belgium in the waste management and environmental services sector. The group employs 850 people across 20 branches in Belgium and France. Globally, the group treats about one million tons of waste every year, 95% of which are upgraded.

Founded over 35 years ago, Soret specializes in the collection and processing of all types of waste, such as iron, wood, paper and roofing, among other. The company uses the latest techniques and technologies and is therefore able to process waste in a very efficient and effective way. In addition to the waste collection and processing, Soret also provides the possibility of renting different types of waste containers. The company focuses on B2B, B2G and B2C and is mainly active in the regions of Brussels, Hainaut, Flemish Brabant and Brabant Walloon.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins’ team in Belgium acted as the exclusive M&A buy-side advisor to Vanheede. We supported our client with market intel, valuation, due diligence support, negotiation and financing of this transaction. This transaction emphasizes our strong track record and expertise in the fragmented waste collection and processing market which is characterized by large international groups and local family-owned players, confronted with a continuous need to make investments in innovation, IT and quality systems.