Internationalisation continues: Equistone-backed BUKO acquires Sweden-headquartered Road Rental Scandinavia AB

BUKO Group ("BUKO"), a leading European provider of temporary traffic management, further expands its international presence with the acquisition of Road Rental Scandinavia AB ("Road Rental"). With this strategic step, BUKO strengthens its position in Europe and its ambition to become the market leader in temporary traffic management. After successful acquisitions in Germany and the United Kingdom, BUKO is now entering the Swedish market with the intention to further grow across Scandinavia.

Headquartered in Barendrecht, the Netherlands, BUKO employs nearly 1,000 people across four countries and successfully oversees thousands of projects annually. Founded in 1991, BUKO specialises in temporary traffic management solutions. With its comprehensive portfolio of services – from design, planning, approval, deployment and collection, as well as onsite management of road signage, safety equipment required for roadworks and an innovative range of digital traffic management solutions – BUKO primarily serves contractors and public authorities, active in utility-related and urban/rural roadworks.

Since funds advised by Equistone acquired a majority stake in BUKO in February 2023, the company has pursued a growth strategy focused on building its presence in its home market and targeted expansion into other European countries supported by strong market dynamics. In March 2024, BUKO established a foothold in the attractive UK market by acquiring Road Traffic Solutions, a temporary traffic and event management solutions specialist operating from seven locations and employing 175 people. With the acquisition of Hooke Highways, BUKO further strengthened its position in this key growth market in November 2024. In October 2024, BUKO also entered the German market with the acquisition of BVT Bremer Verkehrstechnik.

With Road Rental, BUKO has found a high-quality and ambitious partner to grow in the attractive Scandinavian markets. Road Rental is a fast-growing specialist in temporary traffic management with 125 of employees, nationwide coverage through 11 depots and a head office in Stockholm. Since its foundation in 2018 by Jimmy Hansson (CEO) and Dennis Gustafsson (COO), the company has developed into a driven organisation with a solid market position, expanding its geographic coverage and customer base year over year. Road Rental is characterised by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, family culture and great commitment to employees.

"With Road Rental, we are bringing in an ambitious and innovative partner that fits seamlessly with our growth strategy and corporate culture," said Robert Emmerich, CEO of BUKO. "The management team has built an impressive company in a short time, and their energy and customer-oriented approach perfectly match with ours. I am very much looking forward to working with the management team and enthusiastic colleagues to further build a strong position in Sweden as well as other Scandinavian markets."

Jimmy Hansson, CEO of Road Rental, added: "For us, this is a great opportunity to accelerate our growth ambitions. BUKO not only brings knowledge and experience, but also an international network and resources to further optimize our services. We share the same vision of innovation, quality and good employment practices. Together, we are taking the next step to become a leading player in Scandinavia and beyond."

Hubert van Wolfswinkel, Partner in Equistone’s Amsterdam office, said: “We are excited to partner with Road Rental as a fast-growing challenger in the Swedish market and continue BUKO’s strategy of becoming the leading temporary traffic management provider across Europe. We deem the Swedish and other Scandinavian markets highly attractive, underpinned by continued strong infrastructure and energy transition investments.”

The Equistone deal team consists of Hubert van Wolfswinkel, Tanja Berg and Josh Aalbers. BUKO was advised by PwC (Financial & Tax), Lindahl and Clifford Chance (Legal) and Roland Berger (Commercial).