- The group strengthens its position on the path to becoming a European leader in B2B textile rental and laundry services.
- With this acquisition, Lavatio expands into Austria, its third country of operation alongside Germany and Switzerland.
- Lavatio is the first German investment of Argos Climate Action, a fund dedicated to building European sustainable leaders by reducing portfolio companies’ CO₂ intensity by at least 7.5% annually.
Strengthening regional presence and services
The integration of Wäscherei Alpenland extends Lavatio’s footprint further to southern Germany and Austria, reinforcing its local customer offering while expanding its international reach. With the addition of Alpenland, the group now operates nine sites, employs more than 800 people, and processes up to 250 tons of laundry per day.
Alongside operational continuity, Lavatio will provide support in administrative and sales functions, leveraging the group’s structure, expertise, and network. This will allow Wäscherei Alpenland to concentrate on operational excellence while accelerating its growth.
Driving decarbonisation through logistics optimisation
The acquisition is fully aligned with the objectives of Argos Climate Action, Argos’ decarbonisation-focused fund. By optimising logistics and modernising operations, Lavatio will continue to lower its carbon footprint, contributing to the fund’s ambitious annual CO₂ reduction target of 7.5%.
An acquisition in line with Argos’ investment thesis
This transaction reflects Argos’ strategy of acquiring additional laundries while also driving organic growth by expanding capacity at existing sites. The value creation plan is underpinned by a broad decarbonisation programme: sourcing lower-carbon textiles, increasing the share of green electricity, reducing energy and gas consumption, and improving efficiency in the use of water and detergents.
Voices from the transaction
Lars Blechschmidt, CEO of Lavatio
“This acquisition is an important step in strengthening our presence in southern Germany and Austria. We are delighted to welcome the employees of Wäscherei Alpenland to the Lavatio family. Together, we will continue to grow while further improving the sustainability of our operations.”
Fabian Söffge, Partner at Argos
“The integration of Wäscherei Alpenland marks a key milestone in Lavatio’s growth strategy. It broadens the group’s reach and capabilities, while advancing our shared ambition to shape a sustainable European leader in textile services.”
Argos
Coralie Cornet
Argos Head of communication
[email protected]
+33 (0)6 14 38 33 37
Sara Guennewig
Argos German press agency
[email protected]
About Argos / argos.fund
One firm, two strategies. Argos is an independent European private equity group that supports the growth of mid-sized businesses and backs their management teams.
With 2bn€ assets under management, over 35 years of experience and more than 100 businesses assisted, Argos operates from offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Luxembourg, Milan, and Paris. The group seeks to acquire majority stakes and invests between €15m and €100m in each investment of its two strategies:
- The Argos Mid-Market fund unlocks business’ potential and helps companies reach their next level of growth.
- The Argos Climate Action fund (SFDR art. 9) aims at shaping European sustainable leaders by enabling their ‘grey-to-green’ transition.
About Lavatio / lavatio-gruppe.de
Lavatio, headquartered in Hünfeld, Germany, provides textile rental and laundry services to more than 2,200 active customers in the hotel, restaurant and catering as well as healthcare and workwear segments in Germany and Switzerland. The company is a one-stop shop for all services related to laundry (purchasing, logistics, washing, ironing, drying, quality control, return), currently processing more than 250 tons of laundry per day. Lavatio operates nine laundries under seven local brands. In addition, the company has more than 50 partner-laundries, extending its geographic reach.
