mynth
05/2021

CIRCET acquired by ICG

FRANCE IT Services EV 3b - 100b EUR

Context

UK-based investment firm Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) has acquired a majority stake in Circet from Advent International in a third leveraged buyout (LBO). The deal values the French group +€3.2 billion, more than triple the valuation when Advent invested in 2018. This transaction is one of the largest private equity deals in the European telecom infrastructure sector this year. The sale process, led by Morgan Stanley and Natixis Partners, attracted interest from several prominent international funds, including BC Partners, Cinven, CVC Capital Partners, and Access Industries. Following a competitive process, ICG entered into exclusive negotiations and ultimately secured the acquisition with the best offer. The deal structure provides for ICG to hold a stake slightly above 50%, while the management team, led by Philippe Lamazou and Rachid Abdi, will reinvest a significant portion of their sale proceeds to retain over 40% of the capital. The transaction is financed in part by a €1.6 billion Term Loan B arranged by BNP Paribas and Natixis. The deal comes after a period of strong value creation under Advent, during which Circet nearly tripled its revenue through a combination of organic growth and international acquisitions. With this acquisition, ICG aims to continue the group's consolidation and geographic expansion strategy. The fund plans to accelerate Circet's development in Europe while preparing its entry into new international markets, particularly the United States. The transaction marks a new stage in Circet's transformation into a global leader in telecom infrastructure services.

It is worth noting that the fund Advent International took control of Circet through an LBO in 2018.

CIRCET, which reported an EBITDA margin of in 2020, is valued in this transaction at an EV/EBITDA multiple of , representing a to the average currently observed in the TMT (Tech, Media, Telecom) sector (15.1x).

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Target

Circet is a leading European provider of telecom infrastructure services. Founded in the 1990s and headquartered in Solliès-Pont, Var, the group supports telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, local authorities, and infrastructure owners in the deployment, maintenance, and operation of fixed and mobile telecommunications networks. The company operates across the entire telecom infrastructure value chain, from network design and engineering to construction, connection, and maintenance. Its activities encompass the rollout of fiber optic networks, 4G and 5G mobile networks, as well as infrastructure associated with large-scale digital transformation programs.

Ent. Value

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Historical Financials (EUR)

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2020
2019

Other operations with CIRCET

List of similar M&A transactions (Date, Acquirer, Target, Country, Sub-sector)
DateAcquirerTargetCountrySector
04/2018ADVENT INTERNATIONALCIRCETFRANCEIT Services

REFERENCES

Valuation range: EV 3b - 100b EUR

Revenue range: 1b - 3b EUR

EBITDA range: 250M - 500M EUR

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Authors: This transaction was contributed by a verified mynth contributor and cross-checked against available transaction documents and official company communications.

Target: circet

Acquirer: icg