Leading medical aesthetics provider Faceland enters Italy through acquisition of controlling majority stake in market leader Juneco, continuing its European growth story

BRUSSELS AND ROTTERDAM [June 17, 2024] – Faceland, a leading chain of branded medical aesthetics clinics in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, announced today that it is acquiring a majority stake in market-leading Italian medical aesthetics network Juneco to increase its presence and accelerate its expansion within the fast-growing European market. The combined chain will grow to over 50 clinics across Europe by the end of this year.

Founded in 2013 in the Netherlands, Faceland’s unique model offers clinically proven medical aesthetics treatments at accessible price points in local markets, delivered by qualified medical professionals that are trained in-house through the company’s proprietary training academy. Ever since Verlinvest, the Belgian-based, family-backed evergreen investment company, acquired a controlling stake in Faceland earlier in 2024, the company has continued growing to become one of the first international platforms in Europe. The acquisition of Juneco furthers Faceland’s growth trajectory, adding Italy—Europe’s 4^th largest aesthetics market—to its network. This will help solidify Faceland’s position as the European leader in medical aesthetics by bringing its philosophy and differentiated value proposition of affordable, high-quality cosmetic medicine to a new market.

The partnership with Juneco is part of Faceland’s ambitious growth plan focused on adding new clinics using Greenfield and M&A strategies to improve access to high-quality cosmetic medicine for patients and to become the go-to employer for talented doctors and nurses. Juneco Co-Founder Claudio Poggio will remain on as CEO to help manage the group’s expansion into Italy. Faceland will initially grow its presence in Italy under a dual brand strategy, opening new Faceland and Juneco clinics focused on different treatments and customer segments.

Ruud van den Handel, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Faceland, said: “Our partnership with Juneco creates an even stronger network to provide excellent medical aesthetic care to patients throughout Europe. Our Co-Founder Dr. Stijn Bauland and I are excited to enter this next stage by scaling the Faceland brand and philosophy to Italy and look forward to exchanging knowledge with the team at Juneco to continue improving access to high-quality aesthetic medicine.”

Claudio Poggio, Co-Founder and CEO of Juneco, said: “I am very proud to lead a group that represents a real excellence in the aesthetic medicine and surgery market in Italy. Juneco offers its patients the highest professionalism and the most advanced aesthetic technologies available. The opportunity to partner with Faceland and revolutionise the cosmetic medicine landscape in Italy is exciting. Faceland has cemented itself as a leader in Europe and we look forward to implementing its value proposition on the ground.”

Julius Hugelshofer, Director at Verlinvest, said: “The acquisition of Juneco is another steppingstone towards realising Faceland’s ambition to become the European leader in aesthetic medicine, and we’re excited to support the team as it grows into a truly pan-European platform. Partnering with Juneco is testament to our commitment to the aesthetics and healthcare sectors in Europe and in Italy in particular, where we also own dental services group Bludental. We’re excited to support the team as it grows into a truly pan-European platform.”

The acquisition adds a fifth geography and seven clinics to the combined brand, and is expected to close by Q3 2024.

Inexo S.r.l. acted as M&A advisor for Juneco. Andersen Tax Legal Corporate Finance Italia acted as legal advisor for the sellers, and A&O Shearman acted as legal advisor and PwC acted as advisor for Faceland.

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About Faceland

Faceland was founded in 2013 in the Netherlands with the mission of improving access to cosmetic medicine and transforming it from a niche industry into mainstream medical care. A no-nonsense team of young executives, doctors, and nurses set out on this mission, ensuring Faceland’s approach was focused on quality, customer satisfaction, accessibility, and value-for-money from the start. This strategy translated into sustained growth in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, and Faceland now has 35 clinics in its network. Further international expansion remains an essential part of their vision. True to Faceland’s mission, Co-Founders Dr. Stijn Bauland and Ruud van de Handel have set up a Foundation which provides free courses on cosmetic medicine to health professionals and publishes research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

About Juneco

Juneco was founded in 2017 by Claudio Poggio, Gabriele Intini, and Carlo Gianuzzi. The company is headquartered in Milan and has expanded across Northern and Central Italy, creating the country’s largest network of directly operated aesthetics clinics, with seven clinics opened to date. Juneco clinics offer a full suite of aesthetic procedures, including non-invasive treatments and surgery, with a strong focus on high-quality care in attractive locations for patients.

About Verlinvest

Verlinvest is an international, family-backed evergreen investment company. It identifies inflection points in patient-consumer behaviours and partners with the businesses that are driving these consumer revolutions forward while having a positive impact – including in healthcare services, where it has backed Bludental (oral care), Nesto (veterinary care), Faceland (aesthetic medicine), Sinomedica (medical acupuncture), and Ferty9 (IVF). Established in 1995, with offices in Brussels, London, New York, Mumbai, and Singapore, Verlinvest focuses on the FMCG, health, consumer technology, and lifestyle categories. Its portfolio includes the likes of Oatly, Tony’s Chocolonely, Vita Coco, Valtech, Tom & Co., K1 Speed, Who Gives A Crap, and Wild, Holy and Yepoda via its Ventures arm, V3 Ventures.