Vendis Capital teams up with the founder to support the growth of BlueBrixx and Model Car World

Flörsheim (DE), 16 September 2021 – Vendis Capital, the consumer sector specialized European private equity fund, joins forces with the founder of BlueBrixx and Model Car World, two leading omnichannel players serving special interest communities.    

BlueBrixx is a direct-to-consumer brand founded in 2017 by Klaus Kiunke with the idea to offer an alternative portfolio of construction brick sets targeting an adult community of enthusiasts. BlueBrixx is known for its distinctive portfolio of more than 5,000 products covering multiple special interest themes such as architecture, cars, trains, aerospace and adventure. Next to its own brand, BlueBrixx also offers on its platform a unique range of brick sets from third party brands.

BlueBrixx products are mainly distributed through its own e-commerce platform, but also via currently 13 own brand stores in Germany supporting its omnichannel strategy. Driven by its strong product innovation and direct customer engagement via social media, BlueBrixx has created a strong community fanbase and delivered considerable growth since its inception.

As part of the transaction, Vendis will also become the majority owner of Model Car World, a leading supplier of model cars in Europe. Founded in 2001, the product portfolio comprise more than 8,000 models in various scales and distributed under well-known brands like Brekina, MCG, NEO or IXO.

Vendis Capital invests alongside the founder and CEO Klaus Kiunke, who will retain a minority stake, to further accelerate the growth and development of the company.

Klaus Kiunke says: “Vendis Capital with their successful track-record of building premium brands, their experience with e-commerce and internationalization, will help us to approach the next phase of our ambitious growth strategy.”

Alexander Matthes, Partner at Vendis Capital in its Frankfurt office: “We are very happy to add BlueBrixx to our portfolio of consumer brands. We are impressed by Klaus entrepreneurship and his ability to establish BlueBrixx with its distinctive offering that resonates very well with an enthusiast community looking for a credible alternative. We thank Klaus for his trust and are excited to support the growth of the company going forward.”

The participation in BlueBrixx and Model Car World represents the fifth investment within Vendis Capital III, the €300 million fund that was launched in 2019, and the fourth acquisition in Germany. Most recently Vendis has further expanded its German team with the addition of Jatinder Singh who will join as Associate in the Frankfurt office of Vendis Capital.

The completion of the transaction is still subject to approval by the antitrust authority.