TEL AVIV, Israel - Netafim – the world’s largest provider of smart water solutions for agriculture and landscaping – announced the acquisition of Eden (www.eden-irrigation.com), one of France’s leading distributors of irrigation systems, mainly for landscaping.
Eden, a family company founded by Yvon Aouizerate in 1989 in Aix-en-Provence, has been marketing Netafim products for nearly two decades. Over the past four years Eden has doubled its sales, reaching a 2007 turnover of 7 million euros. Most of its sales are for municipal landscaping, sports fields, golf courses and to homeowners for do-it-yourself gardening.
Eden is a leading French supplier of irrigation solutions for landscaping and one of the largest in Europe. The company is known for its customer service-oriented approach, which is facilitated by its advanced logistics system. The purpose of the acquisition is to strengthen Netafim’s position in France and enhance its presence in the European landscape market.
Eden President and CEO, Yvon Aouizerate expressed satisfaction at the conclusion of the transaction, describing the move as “natural and heralding a strategy of powerful growth. We trust that this will facilitate our joint efforts aimed at increasing our national and international activities and to implement a strategy of accelerated growth.”
Netafim (www.netafim.com) is the world's largest and leading company in the field of smart irrigation solutions for agriculture and landscaping. The company focuses on crop solutions in the area of drip-irrigation, greenhouse turnkey projects, and mega projects in bio-fuel energy crops.
This past February Netafim acquired 75 percent of the Revaho company of the Netherlands, whose 2007 turnover amounted to some $100 million with an annual growth rate of about 15 percent.
Netafim operates in more than 110 countries via 32 subsidiaries, with 13 factories throughout the world. The company has 2,400 employees.
Netafim is jointly owned by three kibbutzim (Hatzerim, Magal and Yiftah) and by the Markstone and Tenne funds.
