On 11 December 2018, Sanoma Learning announced its intention to acquire the educational service provider Iddink Group (‘Iddink’) from its current owner, NPM Capital. The acquisition comprises all parts of the group in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. After the acquisition, Malmberg and Iddink Group will collaboratively develop integrated digital solutions to improve and personalise secondary and vocational education. The intended acquisition is subject to approval from the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) and the works council of Iddink Group.
Iddink Group is best known as a distributor of learning tools and as the developer of the widely used student information systems Magister and Eduarte. In recent years, Iddink Group has built a strong position as a supplier of digital learning platforms. Finnish company Sanoma Learning is the owner of leading educational publishers in several different countries, including Malmberg in the Netherlands and VAN IN in Belgium.
NPM Capital acquired Iddink Group in 2014. Bart Coopmans, Managing Director of NPM Capital, said in a brief explanation about the intended sale: ‘From 2014 onwards we have supported Iddink in its ambition to grow and its digital transition, with a shared mission to help improve the education landscape. We are convinced that the company will be able to further accelerate its successful digital strategy under ownership of a strong strategic shareholder such as Sanoma Learning.’
Collaboration for the sake of better education
The acquisition of Iddink Group will enable Sanoma Learning to create the most user-friendly and inspirational digital learning solutions in collaboration with their intended users in the education sector, thereby allowing schools to make a breakthrough in personalised learning methods. Of course Iddink Group will continue its close collaboration with all publishers and its solutions and platforms will remain available across the market. The companies will operate as separate operational companies, whose non-exclusive collaboration remains open to all other providers of content and platforms.
History, experience and vision
Malmberg (established in 1885) and Iddink (established in 1922) share a long history and a common vision on the future of education. John Martin, CEO of Sanoma Learning, believes the two will complement each other well: ‘We offer tailored solutions for students and aim to unburden schools. We complement each other in the development of educational methods, platforms and services. We share a common goal: to offer the best personalised and affordable educational solutions.’
Malmberg and Iddink Group have been working together for many years, with developments in digital technology leading to an increasing amount of overlap in their services. ‘I am enthusiastic about the fact that we will now be able to really offer educational solutions that meet the needs of modern education,’ said Wijnand Spring in ’t Veld, CEO of Iddink Group. ‘Malmberg, VAN IN and Iddink Group will continue their independent operations in the Dutch and Flemish market, each with their own specific portfolio of products and services. By lowering the thresholds between publisher and service provider we can optimally address the wishes of teachers, school managers, students and their parents.’
About Sanoma Learning
Sanoma Learning is one of Europe’s leading learning companies. It supports over a million teachers in their efforts to enable every student to fully develop his or her talents. With over 1,400 employees in companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Finland and Sweden, net sales totalled over €300 million in 2017. Sanoma Learning is a subsidiary of Sanoma Corporation, the Finnish learning and media company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. In the Netherlands, Sanoma’s best-known subsidiary is Sanoma Media Netherlands, publisher of titles such as NU.nl, Donald Duck and Libelle.
About Iddink Group
Iddink Group operates in educational services in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Through its three brands Iddink, Eduarte and Magister it offers digital learning environments, apps, and advanced learning tools and solutions that enable over two million users every day to develop their talents in a personalised manner. Also part of the Iddink Group is The Implementation Group (TIG), the leading business intelligence specialist for the education sector. The company employs over 300 people, more than half of the employees working in educational technology.
