Ufenau Acquires Eco Kart Group to Expand Indoor Entertainment Platform

Ufenau VIII Asset Light, SLP, a fund advised by Swiss private equity firm Ufenau Capital Partners AG, announces its investment in Eco Kart Group, a Germany-based operator specializing in indoor family entertainment. The deal, announced on July 2, 2026, marks a strategic partnership to expand Eco Kart’s footprint and consolidate the fragmented indoor entertainment market.

Founded in 2019, Eco Kart has quickly established itself as a premier provider of multi-activity entertainment venues in the Rhein-Main region. The company operates a diversified portfolio including electric karting, bowling, billiards, darts, and arcade games, catering to both private and corporate customers. Eco Kart benefits from a strong local brand, centrally located venues, and a highly automated, standardized operating model.

While the financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed, Ufenau plans to collaborate closely with Eco Kart’s experienced management team to implement a systematic Buy-&-Build growth strategy. This approach focuses on acquiring complementary businesses to consolidate the highly fragmented indoor family entertainment sector, while simultaneously expanding organically through new venue openings and enhanced activity offerings.

Andreas Weiland, Managing Director at Eco Kart, comments, “This transaction creates exciting new opportunities for Eco Kart. With Ufenau, we have gained a strong investor with the relevant expertise and experience to support our expansion and Buy-&-Build strategy. Together, we aim to further develop our platform, expand into new locations, and continue to offer high-quality entertainment experiences to our customers.”

Ralf Flore, Managing Partner at Ufenau, adds, “We are looking forward to partnering with Andreas as we build a leading European family entertainment services platform. In doing so, we will leverage our 16-year track record of systematic Buy-and-Build and our experience in scaling local single-site concepts into market-leading pan-European businesses.”

Ufenau Capital Partners, headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, is a private equity investor focused on service companies across German-speaking Europe, Iberia, Poland, the Benelux region, the UK, and the USA. Since 2011, Ufenau has invested in approximately 500 service companies globally, managing capital exceeding EUR 5 billion. The firm emphasizes active partnership with entrepreneurs and management teams to drive value creation.

The investment in Eco Kart aligns with Ufenau’s focus on lifestyle and leisure services, targeting growth through consolidation and operational scaling. The indoor family entertainment market remains highly fragmented, presenting significant opportunities for platform expansion and margin improvement through economies of scale, standardized operations, and cross-selling of complementary activities.

Strategically, the partnership aims to strengthen Eco Kart’s position as a leading regional operator and build towards a pan-European lifestyle services platform. Expansion plans include geographic growth beyond the Rhein-Main area into broader German and European markets, alongside diversification of activity offerings to enhance customer experience and increase visit frequency.

Key challenges include maintaining consistent service quality across new acquisitions, integrating diverse operational systems, and managing rapid expansion without diluting the brand. Competitively, the deal is expected to accelerate market consolidation, increasing pressure on smaller regional operators and prompting potential responses such as partnerships or enhanced customer experience investments.

Financial details such as deal value, revenue multiples, or funding structure have not been disclosed. The transaction is positioned as a long-term growth partnership, with Ufenau leveraging its expertise in Buy-&-Build strategies to scale Eco Kart’s platform effectively.

Looking ahead, Ufenau and Eco Kart plan to execute their growth strategy through selective acquisitions and organic expansion, aiming to create a leading European lifestyle entertainment services company. Regulatory approvals and integration processes will be managed closely to ensure smooth execution.

This investment underscores Ufenau’s commitment to the leisure and lifestyle sectors, capitalizing on evolving consumer preferences for diversified, high-quality indoor entertainment experiences.