ELEC 44 acquired by SPARRING CAPITAL

Siparex Midcap acquired a majority stake in 123 Elec from B&Capital. This transaction marks the exit of B&Capital after a five-year holding period during which the group doubled its revenue from EUR43m to over EUR90m and realized a 2.5x return on investment. The management team reinvested significantly alongside Siparex and a pool of financial partners including BNP Paribas Developpement. The deal, supported by acquisition debt arranged by Caisse d'Epargne, aims to accelerate 123 Elec's digital lead and diversify its product offering into energy transition equipment.

Future PLC acquired SheerLuxe. The acquisition is highly strategic: it brings to Future a "Google-Zero" blueprint—a model resilient to search algorithm volatility—and deep expertise in social commerce and podcasting. The current management team will remain to deliver an ambitious double-digit growth plan.

Bending Spoons has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of the target organization, a move that will transition the entity from a public corporation listed on the NYSE to a private subsidiary. The strategic rationale for the transaction is rooted in the acquirer’s objective to accelerate innovation within the experience economy by applying its advanced engineering resources and AI expertise to the target’s established ticketing platform. Planned initiatives include the introduction of dedicated messaging functionality to enhance community interaction, the implementation of AI-driven tools to simplify event creation for organizers, and the improvement of platform searchability for attendees. Additionally, the acquirer intends to explore the development of a secure system for the secondary ticket market to address existing industry friction. This acquisition represents a significant expansion of the acquirer's portfolio into the live experience sector, leveraging its robust financing capabilities and a proven record of revitalizing iconic digital brands. The partnership aims to solidify the platform's role as a global leader for live social connections for the foreseeable future.

This transaction is a strategic corporate acquisition wherein Stingray enters into a definitive agreement to fully acquire TuneIn. The operation is financed through a dedicated new term loan secured under the acquirer's renewed credit facility, featuring a structured payout that includes an initial closing payment and a subsequent performance-based earn-out. The primary strategic rationale driving this consolidation is to profoundly expand Stingray's global digital audio footprint and rapidly accelerate its growth within the streaming services sector. Furthermore, by directly integrating TuneIn's comprehensive ad platform and massive active listener base, the combined entity will dramatically bolster its targeted audio, video, and display advertising offerings, creating a highly scalable global audio leader.

OLX Group, a subsidiary of the Dutch investment group Prosus, has finalized the acquisition of the automotive classifieds platform La Centrale. Closed on November 17, 2025, the transaction facilitates the full exit of US private equity firm Providence Equity Partners, which had held a controlling stake since 2020, alongside the divestment of minority shares held by Axel Springer. For OLX Group, led by CEO Christian Gisy, the buyout represents a highly strategic move to penetrate the French used-car market and significantly expand its operational footprint across Western Europe. For La Centrale and its CEO Philippe Chainieux, joining the OLX portfolio provides the robust technological resources required to accelerate its digital roadmap, with no immediate buy-and-build M&A strategy planned. The joint commercial focus centers entirely on technological synergies, specifically leveraging proprietary artificial intelligence to enhance the consumer-facing marketplace and upgrade the company's SaaS solutions. This AI integration will optimize critical dealer tools—such as pricing analysis, inventory management, and vehicle sourcing—while supporting the continued rollout of La Centrale's newly launched used-car leasing (LOA) products. The buyer consortium was advised by BofA Securities and A&O Shearman, while Goldman Sachs and Kirkland & Ellis acted as counsel for Providence.

Claranova completed the sale of its personalized photo division, PlanetArt, to a consortium led by General Atlantic Credit and the division's management team. The deal is a strategic imperative for Claranova to deleverage its balance sheet and pivot to a "pure-player" software model. The proceeds allow Claranova to refinance its remaining debt and focus on its high-margin segments: PDF (SodaPDF), Utilities (Adaware), and Photo Software (inPixio).

Andera Partners acquires a majority stake in CDS Groupe, the French champion of business hotel booking solutions. This secondary LBO marks the exit of historical investors Siparex and Bpifrance. Ziad Minkara, the CEO, remains at the helm. With Andera's backing, CDS aims to accelerate its international expansion (particularly in Europe, targeting Italy and Germany) and potentially pursue new acquisitions to consolidate the fragmented business travel market.

Inflexion has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Finanzen.net Group from the media conglomerate Axel Springer. The transaction is structured as a carve-out, separating the financial portal and brokerage business from the parent company to operate as a standalone platform. The founders will retain a significant stake and continue to lead the business. Strategically, Inflexion aims to accelerate the growth of the "Zero" neobroker division by cross-selling to the portal's massive audience, effectively converting media traffic into trading customers. The plan also includes launching new savings and investment products to rival competitors like Trade Republic.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has completed the acquisition of the iconic weekly magazine Paris Match from the Lagardère group. This transaction represents the culmination of a long-held ambition for LVMH's Chairman and CEO, Bernard Arnault, who has publicly expressed his deep admiration for the magazine, viewing it as a significant piece of French cultural heritage and a premium brand. The deal followed high-level, discrete negotiations between the Arnault family and the Bolloré family, who are the controlling shareholders of Vivendi, Lagardère's parent company. For LVMH, the acquisition is a strategic move to add a prestigious media asset to its portfolio of luxury houses. The group plans to leverage its global expertise and resources to foster Paris Match's growth, particularly in accelerating its digital transformation and international development. For the seller, Lagardère, the divestiture is part of a strategic realignment following its integration into Vivendi, allowing the company to focus on other media properties within its portfolio. The transaction provides Paris Match with a new, well-capitalized owner committed to preserving its journalistic legacy while steering it toward future innovation and expansion in the evolving media landscape. The magazine is set to operate as a distinct 'Maison' within the LVMH group.

This transaction involves a significant restructuring of the target’s capital, resulting in a newly introduced family office acquiring a controlling majority stake. The operation successfully materializes merely a few years after a previous take-private leveraged buyout. Demonstrating strong ongoing confidence, the former private equity majority owner significantly reinvests to maintain a minority position, alongside another historical institutional shareholder and the executive management team. The acquisition is robustly supported by a comprehensive senior debt package syndicated by a consortium of major banking institutions. The primary strategic rationale is to seize an opportunistic moment to aggressively accelerate the company's development timeline.