In early 2015, ARX together with the experienced healthcare investor Joseph Priel, completed the 100% acquisition of the Slovenian healthcare services provider DC Bled. The company is the largest chain of outpatient diagnostic clinics in Slovenia operating from six locations. DC Bled provides comprehensive outpatient and inpatient medical services and services more than 70,000 patients annually, primarily in the areas of gastroenterology and urology.
DC Bled was founded by a renowned doctor in 1992 who successfully developed the business until his passing in mid 2000s. After years of struggling to further develop the company, the successors concluded that selling DC Bled to experienced investors would enable it to re-ignite growth and to expand further.
ARX provided the desired exit to the family owners and formulated a clear investment plan to support a quality market leader operating on a very fragmented market with the objective to leverage DC Bled’s strong brand and clinical capabilities to achieve growth through operating initiatives, new service offerings and add-on acquisitions.
Priel and the ARX deal team took an active, hands-on role in monitoring DC Bled and contributing to the value creation process. Priel founded Euromedic International in the early 1990s, which completed more than 100 acquisitions while working with multiple international private equity firms including GE Equity, Warburg Pincus and Montagu.
Since the date of the initial ARX investment, DCB has:
- Appointed a new dynamic and growth oriented CEO,
- Solidified its market leadership by completing four strategic add-ons, adding scale and new services such as MRI and CT scans,
- Doubled in size in four years and increased footprint from three to six facilities,
- Achieved full and uniform geographical coverage of the whole country,
- Optimized and expanded existing facilities with focus on bringing equipment to the highest standard, and
- Extended the range of medical services with focus on private procedures.
In early 2020 DC Bled was sold to a blue-chip strategic investor, while generating an attractive investment return for ARX and its partners.