Brussels, 14 June 2017 – Euronext today celebrated the listing of Balta Group NV, a European market leader in soft flooring, on its Brussels market (Compartment B). Balta enters the top ten of household goods and home construction companies listed on Euronext for market capitalisation. This transaction is the largest IPO on Euronext Brussels since 2014.
Balta is a leading manufacturer of textile floor coverings, selling to over 135 countries worldwide. The Balta divisions are Balta Rugs (woven area rugs), Balta Residential Carpets & Tiles (under the brands Balta and ITC), Balta Commercial Carpets & Tiles (under the brands modulyss, Arc Edition and Bentley), and Balta Non-Woven (under the brand Captiqs). With the addition of Bentley, Balta employs over 3,600 FTEs in 9 manufacturing sites and in distribution centres in Belgium, Turkey and the United States.
With a final offer price of € 13.25 per share, Balta’s total offering size, including the existing shares sold by the selling shareholder, amounts to approximately €204 million. With a total of 35.9 million shares admitted to trading, Balta (ticker: BALTA) has an initial market capitalisation before opening of € 476.2 million.
The proceeds of the IPO will be used to reduce the company’s leverage by redeeming existing debt.
Tom Debusschere, CEO of Balta, said: “Balta’s IPO is an exciting milestone in the 53-year history of the group. Our ambition is to continue our transformation into a leading global player in decorative rugs and soft flooring. Our listing on Euronext Brussels is a major step in the realization of our objectives as it will allow us to continue the virtuous cycle of ever faster design and innovation and will strengthen our position to further support the international growth of the company. We strongly believe that this will benefit our customers, employees and shareholders.”
To celebrate Balta’s first trading day, the company’s management team rang the bell to open the markets at Euronext Brussels.