Fast growing, international web hosting business, Miss Group, has acquired one of Switzerland’s largest web hosting providers, Hoststar.
Hoststar is the second Swiss acquisition to be completed by Miss Group, which acquired fellow Swiss web hosting provider Webland in December 2021. The combined acquisitions are expected to deliver an annual turnover of more than €10 million, adding over 100,000 SME customers and positioning the Group as a leader in the Swiss market and DACH region, further strengthening its revenue growth and international reach.
Headquartered in Fraubrunnen, Switzerland, Hoststar was founded in 1996 by Claude Hofer. Today, the company serves 80,000 customers with 180,000 hosted domains across Switzerland and Austria. Hoststar will continue to operate as an independent company, drawing on the international network and expertise of Miss Group.
Mattias Kaneteg, founder and CEO of Miss Group, said: “As one of the largest web hosting providers in Switzerland, Hoststar has built an impeccable reputation with both staff and customers for its market-leading services. As part of Miss Group, Hoststar will have access to our international network of expertise and robust technical knowledge, as well as a broader range of products and services to offer its customers.”
Claude Hofer, founder of Hoststar, added: “I am extremely happy and proud that we have found an investor in Miss Group that is a good cultural fit for the company and willing to invest in the future of Hoststar.”
Hoststar will continue to be managed from its location in Fraubrunnen by its Executive Board members Stefan Leuenberger and Vincenzo Carbone. Claude Hofer will assist the company in an advisory capacity for a limited period of time.
Mattias added: “The year ahead looks very promising for Miss Group, we’ve established a strong acquisition pipeline for 2022 as part of our buy-and-build approach that will continue to accelerate our international growth. We’re also investing in our digital infrastructure to continue offering best-in-class web services and support to help SME businesses expand their reach and enter new markets around the world.”
Perwyn, the family-backed private equity business, acquired a majority position in Miss Group in February 2020 to support the growth ambitions of the business through international expansion and ongoing M&A. Hoststar takes the total number of acquisitions completed under Perwyn ownership to nine, and the total number of acquisitions completed by Miss Group since 2018 to 18.
Miss Group was supported on this transaction by:
- Legal advice – Squire Patton Boggs (Giles Chesher, Matt Canipa and Mona Mojtabavi)
- Financial due diligence – EY (Steven Kingham and Jace Swift)
- Corporate advisory – Anecta / Translink Corporate Finance (Fredrik Ullberg, Alex Gut and Sebastian Süllmann)
