FDC advised Safran in the acquisition of Orolia
Paris (France), 11th July 2022
Safran finalized the acquisition of Orolia, one of the world leaders in the Resilient PNT (Positioning – Navigation – Timing) value-chain with full system capabilities, and a provider of PNT equipment, simulation and test solutions. Orolia is also providing emergency locator beacons for commercial aviation and military applications.
Orolia generated revenues in excess of EUR 100 million in 2021 and has approximately 435 employees with facilities in France, The United States, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.
FDC advised Safran in this deal, which represents a unique opportunity for Safran and Orolia to extend their Resilient PNT solutions, through their remarkable complementarities. With this addition, Safran will be able to build a world-leading position in all aspects of PNT, inertial navigation, time and GNSS receivers and simulators, covering aerospace, governmental and high integrity applications.
This transaction is an example of FDC's deep knowledge of the Electronics, High Tech, Defense and Space sectors, and demonstrates its ability to accompany large corporates in their strategic acquisitions.
TSG, the European leader in technical services for responsible mobility solutions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Hemag, a key player in Electrical services and engineering based in Madrid, Spain
Paris (France), July 4th 2022
TSG, the European leader in technical services for responsible mobility solutions, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Hemag, a key player in Electrical services and engineering based in Madrid, Spain.
Hemag has more than 40 years’ experience in the field of engineering and installation / maintenance of electrical infrastructure, offering high quality and professional solutions. With its national network of 160 engineers and technicians, Hemag is becoming one of the top players in the installation of electric vehicles charging points in Spain.
Hemag has achieved a turnover over €13m. Eduardo Marco, current Hemag’s CEO, will take over Electrical division of TSG Iberica under which Hemag will be integrated.
With Hemag acquisition, TSG reinforces its teams in the electrical field with experienced electrician experts to further accelerate its strategic transformation towards new mobility in Spain. Integrating Hemag’s team will allow TSG to leverage on a solid and established organization and to answer every customer’s needs in design, building and maintenance of electric mobility infrastructures. Both companies will benefit from commercial synergies and from their respective network’s complementarity in Spain.
After other similar acquisitions in the new mobility, Hemag’s acquisition fully falls into TSG strategy to enable the responsible mobility transition by developing new energy for mobility, quality infrastructures and to offer a one-stop shop for innovative energy & retail solutions.
Both members of the international network Global M&A Partners (GMAP), Financière de Courcelles (France) and Anquor CF (Spain) are proud to have advised TSG on this cross-border transaction, which allows TSG to strengthen its presence in Spain and to affirm its ambitions in new energies for mobility.
Financière de Courcelles is advising TSG in its European development plan of external growth, through its multi-buy-side offer.
About TSG
TSG, the European leader in technical services for responsible mobility solution, is a key enabler of the energy transition for mobility: With unequalled presence in 30 countries, TSG designs, builds and maintains all types of energy distribution infrastructures for mobility: electric vehicles charging network, GPL/LNG, hydrogen and also fuel / biofuel service stations. TSG offers a one-stop-shop (equipment sale, projects and maintenance services, digital payments and systems) for innovative energy and retail solutions. TSG serves all types of clients, in the public and private sectors from local authorities and retail to gas station networks and companies fleet installations. TSG has over 4,500 employees, and revenue over €700m. TSG’s technicians are uniquely skilled, with recognized expertise in all new mobility energy solutions: electric vehicles, hydrogen, biofuels and natural gas as well as related systems and payment services. TSG is a privately-held company, owned by its management and the entrepreneurial investment firm HLD.
FDC conseille le groupe oktogone dans le cadre de sa cession au groupe ad education soutenu par ardian
Paris (France), June 21st, 2022 – AD Education, backed by Ardian, acquired Oktogone group, a leader in online education and training
Created in 2002 by Régis Micheli, Oktogone developed a large offer in online training in verticals such as Digital, Communications & Marketing or Management, through two platforms: ISCOD, a fully online higher education school offering 100% apprenticeship degrees, and Visiplus, an online professional training platform for professional.
In 2021, the group realised growth over 165%, which will accelerate in 2022 and in the coming years with the launch of new degrees.
Capitalizing on a high-growth market and well recognized brands, AD Education aims at pursuing Oktogone’s growth momentum and accelerate the launch of new degrees, particularly by relying on AD Education group’s large portfolio of face-to-face training.
Régis Micheli, Founder of Oktogone group: “We are thrilled to join AD Education group and open a new chapter in the development of Oktogone group. The mix of distance and face-to-face learning, as well as the strong complementarity with AD Education’s brands and training portfolio open exciting perspectives to accelerate our growth in the years to come. This association is a unique opportunity to create a leader in face-to-face and distance learning for creative professions, in France and in other countries where AD Education is present.”
Kévin Guenegan, Chairman of AD Education group: “We have very happy to welcome Oktogone to AD Education. We share common values as well as an entrepreneurial group DNA. The complementarity of our offers and expertise anchors the group in a lasting leading position on the booming market of higher education. We cannot wait to work with Oktogone teams and accelerate the group’s digitalization in France and abroad, by relying on high quality teams and platform.”
Financière de Courcelles team is thrilled to have advised Régis Micheli, Founder and Chairman of Oktogone in this key step for the group’s development. This sale of one of the leading Digital Learning platforms highlights and confirms our in-depth knowledge of the sector.
About Oktogone group
Oktogone group is a reference actor of training and employment in the digital era. The group combines a set of expertise to support workers, students, and jobseekers in the management of their career. Oktogone also supports businesses in helping their employees gain new skills in a professional training, internal mobility, or recruitment context.
About AD Education
Founded in 2009, AD Education is a leading European higher education platform dedicated to the fields of Creative Arts and training over 22,000 students in 15 schools, on 66 campuses in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Greece. AD Education covers 4 main training segments: Design & Graphic Arts, Media & Digital, Audio-visual and Culture & Luxury. Following the acquisition, AD Education will widen its presence in online training and will achieve revenue of over 220 million euros.
About Ardian
Ardian is a global leader in private equity with 130 billion dollars managed and/or advised in Europe, America, and Asia. Ardian benefits of an international network of over 880 employees in 15 offices in Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxemburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, and Zurich), in North America (New York, San Francisco), in South America (Santiago) and in Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). The company manages funds for 1,200 clients through its 5 investment pillars: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Neftys pharma accueille à son capital ui investissement accompagne de geneo capital entrepreneur et credit agricole centre france
Paris (France), the 15 of June 2022,
Financière de Courcelles advised Neftys Pharma in a €30m fundraising from a trio of institutional and complementary investors (led by UI Investissement, with GENEO Capital Entrepreneur and Crédit Agricole Centre France) to support the company’s strong development. This fundraising opens a new development phase allowing the group to lead the consolidation of the European market.
With a €300m expected sales in 2022, the group intends to strengthen its position as a key player in the sector in Europe by pursuing its consolidation strategy. The €30m capital increase led by UI Investissement – together with GENEO Capital Entrepreneur and Crédit Agricole Centre France – coupled with structured financing of more than €52m obtained in April 2022 from the group’s historical bankers, materialises this ambition by enabling the group to take external growth opportunities. Neftys Pharma also intends to continue its development on the African continent.
Diego Mignot, CEO of Alliando, holding of Neftys Pharma:”I am delighted to welcome new investors to Neftys Pharma’s capital, which will enable me to structure the group, build loyalty and attract new talent, and above all take acquisition opportunities in a highly fragmented European market. I was convinced by the UI Investissement team, which is recognised for its expertise in healthcare and its benevolence towards managers, and by GENEO Capital Entrepreneur, which specialises in assisting small and medium-sized companies, particularly in their international development and CSR. Crédit Agricole is a long-standing partner and has always supported us in our various development plans. Our project is ambitious as we aim to double in size within 5 years and become a European player to support our partners in their various markets”.
Founded in 1987 within the OCP Group, Neftys Pharma is a wholesale distributor specialising in the distribution of veterinary products to animal health and welfare professionals. Formerly known as Veto Santé, the Group became independent in 1997 when Jacques Mignot carried out an MBO and strongly expanded in France (No. 3 in the sector) and then internationally under the management of his son Diego Mignot who arrived in 2013 to gradually take over the direction.
Neftys Pharma is now a reference one-stop shop capable of managing the supply, storage and distribution of veterinary medical products (vaccines, medicines) and non-medical products (food, food supplements, hygiene products). The company positions itself as an intermediary between veterinary pharmaceutical laboratories and manufacturers of non-medical products and retailers (veterinary clinics, animal breeders, specialist shops and pharmacies). The group also provides depository services, sales promotion and services to laboratories.
Drive organic and external growth
Neftys Pharma operates in a European market for veterinary products estimated at €24B in 2020. It is driven by an increase in the number of pets and livestock per capita (for consumption), as well as an increase in spending per animal and the development of insurance for animals.
The Group plans to achieve organic growth by diversifying into new products distributed to new customers and new markets (e-commerce, supermarkets, etc.). At the same time, Neftys Pharma will pursue its external growth strategy, illustrated by the completion of 9 acquisitions over the last 24 months and continue to be one of the only consolidation platforms in the European market capable of carrying out a buy and build strategy.
Financière de Courcelles’s team is delighted to have supported the Neftys Pharma group and its management in this transaction. Alongside the management team, we first conducted a strategic review of the appropriate financing for the group’s development and then built a financial structure that corresponds to its objectives and needs for the coming years.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE OPERATION
Company side:
- Company: Neftys Pharma (Diego Mignot, Elisabeth Siachoua)
- Financial advisor: Financière de Courcelles (Michaël Petit, Jacques Schwab, Nikita – Picard)
- Legal counsel: Gide (Axelle Toulemonde, Clara Abidri)
- Management package advisor: Mayer Brown (Laurent Borey, Paul de Préval, Pauline Barbier)
- Financial due diligence: Alvarez & Marsal (Donatien Chenu, Julien Szaleniec, Clément Allouard, Mohamed Benkirane)
Investor side:
- Investors: UI Investissement (Olivier Jarrousse, Thomas Schmidt, Louis Champion, Matthieu Le Campion); GENEO Capital Entrepreneur (François Picarle, Louis Charrier); Crédit Agricole Centre France (Xavier Deyra, Laure Julien)
- Legal counsel: De Pardieu Brocas Maffei (Magali Masson, Jeanne Rochmann and Sarah Dirani (corporate M&A); Priscilla Van Den Perre and Pierre-Alexandre Pujol (tax law)); Philippe Rozec, Clodoald de Rincquesen and Perrine Piat (employment law); Sekri Valentin Zerrouk (Pierre-Emmanuel Chevalier, Natacha Baratier, Chloé Metivier)
- Financial due diligence: PwC (Benoit Cambournac, Sophie Brunot, Medhi Chafai); Grant Thornton (Françoise Mechin, Alain-Régis Grail, Pierre Aubrun)
- Banking advisor: Etxe Finance (Luc Demarre)
Debt: LCL (Sylvain Delomier, Benoît Astier, Vincent Casse, Guillaume Moreau); Crédit Agricole Centre France (Vincent Becquevort, Romain Filhon, Jean-Philippe Garetier)
Financière de Courcelles a conseillé les actionnaires d’Equance dans le cadre de l’ouverture du capital de la société au fonds d’entrepreneurs Calcium Capital en investisseur minoritaire aux côtés des fondateurs
Paris (France), le 1er juin 2022,
Financière de Courcelles a conseillé les actionnaires d’Equance dans le cadre de l’ouverture du capital de la société au fonds d’entrepreneurs Calcium Capital en investisseur minoritaire aux côtés des fondateurs. Cet investissement marque l’ouverture d’une nouvelle phase de croissance du groupe, à l’international et en France.
L’arrivée de Calcium Capital au capital d’Equance illustre l’ambition de la société de renforcer ses équipes, d’accélérer le déploiement de son réseau international, de nouer des partenariats stratégiques et de saisir les opportunités de croissance externe sur le marché français.
Olivier Grenon-Andrieu, fondateur d’Equance : « Nous avons choisi un partenaire financier qui partage nos valeurs entrepreneuriales et notre ambition de développement et qui saura nous accompagner dans cette nouvelle étape de développement. Rejoindre l’aventure Equance, c’est intégrer une équipe robuste, dynamique, chaleureuse et soudée malgré l’éloignement géographique de certains consultants. Une équipe où chacun peut exprimer ses talents pour la réussite de tous. »
Depuis sa création en 2005, Equance a su développer une offre de services haut de gamme en nouant des partenariats avec des sociétés de gestion de renom et propose des placements en architecture ouverte adaptés aux besoins, à la situation et au profil de chacun de ses clients : assurance vie, non coté, immobilier financier, immobilier direct, etc… Equance propose également des solutions de crédit et de prévoyance plébiscitées par sa clientèle expatriée et française.
Depuis son siège social à Montpellier, Equance anime un réseau d’une cinquantaine de consultants basés dans les principales régions du monde (Asie, Océanie, Amérique du Nord et du Sud, Europe, Afrique et Moyen-Orient) ainsi qu’à Paris et en Occitanie. Ses clients sont présents dans plus de 100 pays dans le monde.
Equance a été distinguée de plusieurs récompenses pour son expertise en gestion privée internationale et sa stratégie d’épargne innovante (précurseur dans le non coté, le capital-investissement et la pierre-papier), et parait régulièrement dans la presse spécialisée.
Cédric Duchamp, associé gérant de Calcium Capital : « Le positionnement très différenciant d’Equance sur une clientèle d’expatriés, restant en outre fidèles à la société lors de leur retour en France, a immédiatement attiré notre attention. Dans un secteur où les exigences en matière de qualité de service, d’outils digitaux et de réglementation augmentent d’année en année et encouragent les acteurs du métier à se rapprocher, la qualité des fondateurs et des équipes que nous avons rencontrés nous a convaincu de la capacité d’Equance à attirer et à fédérer toujours plus de talents. »
L’équipe FIG de Financière de Courcelles est ravie d’avoir accompagné les fondateurs d’Equance dans cette opération de LBO primaire et confirme ainsi sa très forte dynamique dans le secteur des services financiers.
INTERVENANTS SUR L’OPÉRATION
Côté société :
- Société : Equance (Olivier Grenon-Andrieu, Didier Bujon)
- Conseil financier : Financière de Courcelles (Michaël Petit, Christophe Brière, Julien Page, Hamza Lahna)
- Conseil juridique : Eleom Avocats (Didier Puech, Jean-Marie Aussedat)
- Due Diligence financière : RSM (Jean-Marc Capdevila, Grégory Azemar)
Côté investisseur :
- Investisseur : Calcium Capital (Cédric Duchamp, Antoine Gravot, Louis Michel)
- Conseil juridique : Viguier Schmidt & Associés (Fabrice Veverka, Victor Cann, Thomas Aulibe, Christel Alberti, Mélanie Teixeira, Charles Fillon)
- Due diligence financière : PwC (Céline Appel-Schneider, Arnaud Thibesart, Ludovic Boucher, Yanzhang Yuan)
- Due diligence juridique : D’Ornano & Co (Thomas Priolet, Saliha Bardasi, Adèle Daudre-Vignier, Alexia Suptil, Cécile Auvieux, François Proveau)
- Due diligence réglementaire : PwC (Daniel Berlioz, Camille Dehez-Joyeux)
Côté financement :
- Crédit Agricole Languedoc (Fanny Le Goff, Magali Champion)
- Société Générale (Peter Burghard, Anne-Maelle Brezac)
- LCL (Matthieu Minetto, David Paquin)
FDC advises Skill & You (IK Partners) in ICS Learn acquisition from Primary Capital Partners
Paris (France), 22nd March 2022 – Skill & You acquires the online training platform ICS Learn from Primary Capital Partners.
ICS Learn is a British group founded more than 130 years ago offering 100% online training for students and professionals. The group covers many sectors such as human resources, accounting, leadership, marketing, and management.
ICS Learn’s trainings have received the most prestigious British professional certifications from renowned certification bodies such as CIPD and AAT, as well as academic certifications such as A-Levels, GCSE and iGCSE.
This acquisition will allow Skill & You to strengthen its presence in the European e-learning market. The management team will remain unchanged.
Eric Petco and Sonia-Levy Odier, Managing Directors of Skill & You, said: “We are very pleased to welcome ICS Learn to the Skill & You team and are excited to see what our combination will bring. Acquiring the Business is the natural next step for us as it will help us to realize our ambitious growth plans and enable entry into the UK market. We have been very impressed with ICS Learn’s growth to date and look forward to the years ahead.”
The Financière de Courcelles Education team is delighted to have advised Skill & You in this new step of its international development, this transaction allows the group to comfort its European leadership in Digital Learning.
This transaction illustrates the Financière de Courcelles expertise in conducting cross-border deals and reinforces its leadership as M&A advisor in the Digital Learning segment.
About Skill & You
Generating more than €150m in sales, Skill and You is a vocational e-learning provider with 150,000 students and 1,000 employees and has established itself as a market leader in France and Spain. The Group’s unrivalled portfolio of more than 220 courses largely leads to state diplomas and covers a wide range of professional fields (Healthcare, Childcare, Animal Health, IT & Digital, Accounting and Administration, Public Service, and Construction, amongst others).
About IK Partners
IK Partners (“IK”) is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €14 billion of capital and invested in over 160 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects.
About ICS Learn
ICS Learn is a leading online professional education platform offering learners flexible courses, accredited by industry-leading awarding bodies including CIPD, the gold-standard globally recognised Human Resources qualification, and AAT for finance professionals. The Business serves more than 25,000 students annually across over 100 countries. Training is delivered digitally, across B2B and B2C markets.
About Primary Capital Partners
Primary is an independent private equity firm which invests in middle-market management buy-outs and buy-ins in the UK. With offices in London and Manchester, Primary works closely with management teams to develop their business by providing long-term financial resources and strategic support over a three to seven year period.
Financière de Courcelles advised investors in the context of the capital increase of the technology company dataïads.
Paris (France), 16 March 2022,
Financière de Courcelles advised investors in the context of the capital increase of the technology company dataïads. A startup and SaaS player at the crossroads of Adtech and Martech, dataïads publishes a post-click experience technology to optimise the performance of the Google Shopping channel, the main traffic driver for e-retailers.
dataïads helps companies achieve a better ROI through optimised advertising campaigns, thanks to a proprietary technology. It enables digital and marketing managers to optimise their ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) by reducing the bounce rate and increasing conversions and the average basket per purchase.
dataïads was founded in 2021 by Raphaël Grandemange, former CEO of Webedia (Fimalac group), Thibault de Broissia and Benjamin Cozon, founders of Uptilab and Reeport, which were acquired by Webedia in 2017 and merged with Jellyfish in 2019, while Emile Caron, former Director of Development at Reeport, which specialises in datavisualisation tools, has joined the team as Chief Technology Officer
Following a fundraising process, the founders have chosen new financial partners to support them in the growth and development of dataïads on a very promising market.
This transaction is part FDC’s new strategy of supporting technology companies.
FDC advises the sale of Domaine du Ferret to Didier Germain and 123 Investment Managers. 123 IM’s funds acquire a new 4-star hotel located on the Cap Ferret peninsula in partnership with Didier Germain, 123 IM’s historical partner.
Paris (France), 8 March 2022 – 123 IM’s funds are acquiring a new 4-star hotel located on the Cap Ferret peninsula in partnership with Didier Germain, a long-standing partner of 123 IM.
The funds managed by 123 IM and Didier Germain have just acquired the business and part of the property of the “Domaine du Ferret” hotel resort, a 4-star establishment with 376 beds spread over 96 accommodations, located on the Cap Ferret peninsula in Claouey (Gironde – Aquitaine).
Ideally located at the entrance to the Cap-Ferret peninsula, the “Domaine du Ferret” enjoys a unique location within a soothing natural area of 1.8 hectares. The establishment was built between 2013 and 2015 in a “fisherman’s hut” style, typical of the architecture of the oyster villages of Cap-Ferret.
With an accommodation area of 3,713m2, the hotel has the largest hotel capacity on the peninsula. It has 5 categories of rooms and offers a complete and diversified range of services: a restaurant “Le Cabanon du domaine” with a panoramic view of the pine forest, a fitness room, an outdoor and indoor swimming pool and 5 seminar rooms. The hotel also boasts a 1,000m2 balneotherapy & spa centre, one of the largest in the region.
The transaction was carried out alongside Didier Germain, 123 IM’s long-standing partner, who has just sold the Medeos group (France’s 12th largest private nursing home group), which he founded in 1991. In recent years, Didier Germain has diversified his activities by investing in real estate development and in the hotel and restaurant sector, which he now wishes to strengthen.
The day-to-day management of the Domaine du Ferret will continue to be carried out by the current teams and the supervision will be carried out by Dimacco, the family holding company of the Germain family.
“We have been working with 123 IM’s teams for many years and this mutual trust has enabled us to complete this excellent transaction. This new acquisition will enable us to continue our development phase in the hotel and restaurant sector“, says Didier Germain.
“123 IM knows Didier Germain very well, having accompanied the Medeos group in its development and then its sale. This new transaction is the mark of a genuine relationship of trust that has been established with a serious and experienced partner. We are delighted to be able to support him in his hotel operations and in particular in this very fine establishment with a strong and resilient historical financial performance” says Pierre Dupuy Chaignaud, Managing Partner at 123 IM.
«We are delighted to have sold the Domaine du Ferret to Didier Germain and 123 Investment Managers, and we are convinced that they will be able to preserve the spirit of the place and develop this establishment that we have been shaping for nearly 10 years” comments Franck Mondon (the seller).
The FDC team is proud to have advised on this successful transaction in the hospitality sector. This new transaction illustrates our ability and willingness to support regional players.
HLD and Bpifrance have acquired a stake in Walter Learning, specialized in online training for professionals, in order to accelerate its development
Paris (France), 14th February 2022 – HLD and Bpifrance have acquired a stake in Walter Learning, specialized in online training for professionals, in order to accelerate its development.
Created in 2018 by Thomas Cornet, Hippolyte Le Dem, Alphonse Doutriaux and Joseph Réquillart, Walter Learning offers 100% digital training for professionals. The Group is historically positioned on the health professional market (nurses, general practitioners, masseurs-physiotherapists, etc.), and has been gradually diversifying its offer by targeting other kind of professionals.
In 2021, the Group has experienced an overall growth of more than 165%, which will keep accelerating in 2022 and in the forthcoming years, with the launch of new training courses.
HLD and Bpifrance become shareholders alongside with the management, supporting Walter Learning in its structuring and its development within a fast-growing market.
Thomas Cornet, CEO of Walter Learning: “We are delighted that HLD and Bpifrance has entered the Group’s capital as they will help us accelerate our development in a very fast-growing market. HLD has both significant financial resources to finance our organic development and external growth opportunities, and a recognized experience in supporting fast-growing companies.”
Cédric Boxberger, Partner at HLD: “We were appealed by the very high quality of Walter Learning’s management team, which has become the leader in the training market for health professionals in less than 3 years. The digital training market is still very atomized, and we have the ambition, with the management team, to create one of the leaders in its segment, both through organic and external growth.”
FDC’s team is delighted to have advised Walter Learning’s managing shareholders in this important milestone for the company’s growth. This is a new transaction in the fast-growing EdTech sector, which is highly valued by investment funds.
About Walter Learning
Walter Learning designs, produces and delivers online training for professionals. While it was initially positioned on the health professional market, Walter Learning now offers more than 40 training courses for professionals through the Walter Santé and Walter Learning brands. The company decided to differentiate itself by the quality of its service and its technology.
About HLD Group
Founded by a group of entrepreneurs in 2010, HLD is a European investment fund with permanent capital. HLD aims at supporting management teams in turning their companies into leaders in their field. As such, HLD invests in high potential companies and provide them with human and financial resources to grow on the long run. With $2bn in capital, HLD supports 18 companies that employ 24,000 people and experience average annual growth of more than 10%.
About Bpifrance
Bpifrance is a public investment bank and a French organization specialized in financing and corporate development. More specifically, it aims at supporting small and medium-sized companies, mid-cap companies and innovative companies alongside with State and regional policies in order to help them become tomorrow’s leaders.
Following the sell-side process exclusively advised by Financière de Courcelles, Adeo Group (the parent company of Leroy Merlin) has sold its subsidiary LightOnline to Keria Group
Paris (France), February 8th, 2022,
Following the sell-side process exclusively advised by Financière de Courcelles, Adeo Group (the parent company of Leroy Merlin) has sold its subsidiary LightOnline to Keria Group.
Adeo Group and Leroy Merlin will continue to focus on the growth of the Housing Platform France and the implementation of a market-leading omnichannel model.
Founded in 2009, LightOnline is a Parisian start-up and a pure player in design. It has become one of the leading e-commerce websites and has established itself as THE reference for premium lighting in France. LightOnline has succeeded in combining digital technology and light through a differentiating and innovative customer experience that makes LightOnline much more than a digital marketplace.
LightOnline now offers more than 250 brands and 12,000 references from leading brands in design to new brands: Kartell, Foscarini, Maison Sarah Lavoine, Tom Dixon, Fermob, Martinelli Luce, Flos, Fritz Hansen, Artemide, Vitra …
The company has enjoyed an average annual growth of 30% for the last 4 years, thanks to its product strategy and its digital expertise. Leveraging on the reputation of its B2C e-commerce website, the partnership with Leroy Merlin stores (through 60 corners) which will remain beyond the sale, and the development of the B2B segment, LightOnline will continue its strong development in the forthcoming years, strengthened by its new shareholder, Keria Group.
Created in 1982, Keria Group is specialized in the lighting industry. In October 2020, the Group acquired 100% of the capital of the pure player “Luminaires-online” to reinforce its presence on this specific distribution channel. Through the acquisition of LightOnline, the Keria Group, owner of Keria and Laurie Lumière as well as Luminaires-online, is accelerating its omnichannel distribution strategy by also strengthening its position on the premium segment.
Marc Delozanne, Deputy CEO of Leroy Merlin France:
« The support of Financière de Courcelles was decisive to define the most relevant ownership for LightOnline. Throughout the process, Financière de Courcelles’ teams have shown a remarkable commitment to the transaction and the company’s interests».
Claire Lestoille, CEO of LightOnline:
« Joining Keria Group is a new step for LightOnline. It will allow us to develop our leadership in the lighting industry in France. We are delighted with this new partnership, which paves the way to great opportunities for the future. Financière de Courcelles’ team has quickly revealed itself as a high added-value and trusted advisor for all stakeholders ».
Sébastien Hours, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Keria Group:
« Not only does this acquisition allow us to offer a broader range of premium and designer lighting, but it also accelerates the growth of our digital market share, which will reach 25% by 2022. This transaction is in line with a clearly identified strategy based on two fundamentals: preserving the identity, the position and the industrial know-how of each brand and strengthening our digital strategy».
Emmanuel Ducrot & Guillaume Piette, Partner et Managing Partner at FDC respectively:
«We are delighted to have advised LightOnline’s shareholders during this key step in the history of the company. This new transaction in the digital sector demonstrates the expertise of Financière de Courcelles in sell-side mandates for corporates».
Stakeholders’ list:
Sell-side:
• Adeo Group: Marc Delozanne, Guillaume Vanoverschelde, Alexandre Grand Dewyse, Matthieu Bernat
• Legal advisor: Villey Girard Grolleaud (Frédéric Grillier, Alexandre Reignier)
• M&A advisor: Financière de Courcelles (Emmanuel Ducrot, Guillaume Piette, Antoine Mainini, Hamza Lahna, Quentin Levrey)
Buy-side:
• Keria Group: Sébastien Hours, Philippe Cailleux, Antoine Tassigny
• Financial advisor: Cairn Partners (Maxence Bousquet, Damien Mignot)
• Legal advisor: Bird & Bird (Lionel Berthelet, Marine Besson)
• Digital advisor: Orange Consulting (Marianne Bellamy, Eric Massaroni)
FDC advises ELVIA PCB's shareholders on the sale of the group to Tikehau Ace Capital
Paris (France), the 6th of January 2022,
Tikehau Ace Capital has entered into exclusive negotiations for the acquisition – subject to the completion of the conditions precedent – of ELVIA PCB group, French leader in the manufacture of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) for demanding industries and severe environments such as the aerospace and defense sectors. The unique and high grade PCB technologies developed by ELVIA include rigid, flex-rigid, multi-layer and hyper-frequency boards.
ELVIA PCB generated €60m revenues pre-covid and has a staff of over 450 employees in France through 5 production sites.
ELVIA PCB has been owned for close to 20 years by a pool of individual investors led by its CEO Bruno Cassin, that has over the years transformed the group by positioning it on the growing Aerospace & Defense markets and on PCB future applications. FDC advised Elvia PCB shareholders in this transaction that will allow the group to continue its development path with a well-established and recognized new shareholder.
This transaction is an example of FDC’s deep knowledge of the Electronics, High Tech, Space & Defense sectors, and its strong commitment to the ongoing process of consolidation of the subcontracting chain.
Digital Value, a pure player in digital strategy consulting, opens its capital to Ardian and Isatis Capital
Paris, France, 2 December 2021,
Financière de Courcelles advised the shareholders of Digital Value - Arnaud de Baynast (Founder & Chairman) and his management team - in the context of a minority opening of the company's capital to the funds Ardian and Isatis Capital.
Founded in 2008 in Paris by Arnaud de Baynast, Digital Value is one of the leaders in "data analytics for business", a new discipline at the crossroads of strategy consulting, data and technology.
Digital Value assists large companies in digitizing their core business, maximizing their operational efficiency, and launching new digital activities, thanks to a unique positioning combining:
- Leading expertise in data analytics & science.
- A solid track record in strategic marketing.
- In-depth knowledge of digital ecosystems in all regions of the world, especially in Asia.
- An approach to the business based on the development of technological building blocks for data collection and processing, which increase the effectiveness of traditional strategy consulting methods tenfold.
The relevance of this approach is confirmed by the relationships of trust developed by Digital Value with the thirty or so clients it has worked with, including Pernod Ricard, TotalEnergies, Engie and Macif, on complex business issues such as algorithmic pricing, customer clustering and the digitalisation of road-to-market. This confidence has driven the company's continuous growth since its creation. Digital Value is expected to pass the €10M mark in turnover very soon.
FDC advised Digital Value on the development of its technological know-how and the resilience of its model. The management of a dual-track process with strategic and financial partners enabled the company's shareholders to find the best partners.
List of stakeholders :
Transferor side :
• Company : Arnaud de Baynast, Alice Wu, Romain Bury, Paul-Henri Magnien, Abdellah Moutacall
• Legal advice: PGA (François Gine, Thibault Germain), Walter Garance (Isabelle Avril, Roxane Bouillon)
• Financial audit: Grant Thornton (Frederic Zeitoun)
• Financial advisory: Financière de Courcelles (Matthieu de Baynast, Henri Mion, Antoine Mainini)
Buyer's side:
• Ardian : Geoffroy de la Grandière, Pierre Schaeffer
• Isatis Capital : François-Xavier Lehman, Thomas Lemaire
• Legal, tax and social advice: Levine Keszler (Nicolas de Courtivron), Arsene Taxand (Franck Chaminade)
• Financial audit: E&Y (Jean-Christophe Pernet, Soukaina Douazi)