EUROPEAN DIGITAL GROUP (EDG) acquired by LATOUR CAPITAL

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.

Sagard has emerged as the winner of a competitive auction process managed by Amala Partners and eCap Partner, acquiring a majority stake in Primelis. The transaction values the company with a premium valuation underpinned by a 40% average annual growth rate over the last five years. The financing package includes a unitranche debt provided by Eurazeo Private Debt, which is structured to potentially evolve into a senior debt with PIK (Payment-in-Kind) interest to maximize reinvestment into growth. The deal also includes a dedicated CAPEX line strictly engineered to fund an upcoming build-up strategy. Following the successful "cracking" of the US market, this new partnership is designed to transform Primelis into a global MarTech leader with imminent launches planned for Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

EMZ Partners has successfully organized a management-sponsored buyout to support the founders of Yuri & Neil in their acquisition of majority control of the group. This strategic operation marks the beginning of a new expansion cycle for the agency, which has demonstrated a remarkable growth trajectory since its inception five years ago. To adequately capitalize this transition, a senior debt facility was arranged and fully subscribed by a banking pool consisting of Caisse d’Epargne Île-de-France (CEIDF), Société Générale, and CIC. The deal is strictly engineered to provide the financial resources necessary for a dual-track strategy: accelerating organic development in core expertises and executing a targeted buy-and-build strategy to acquire new value-added services and expand the group’s international footprint.

The Independents finalized a $400 million fundraising round led by TowerBrook and FL Entertainment, representing a massive secondary leveraged growth operation. This investment, which followed a successful debt financing round led by BIL, Société Générale, and others, is intended to accelerate the group's international expansion and acquisition strategy. The group's ambition is to more than double in size by 2025. The deal allowed for the exit of Cathay Capital while providing the financial backing for the group to further consolidate its position as a "one-stop-shop" partner for iconic luxury brands worldwide.

This transaction represents a renewed leveraged buyout where the incumbent private equity majority shareholder reinvests through its latest flagship fund to maintain absolute corporate control. The operation is executed in seamless alignment with the founding executive and the broader management team, who remain deeply involved in the capital structure. This strategic capital reorganization provides renewed stability and enhanced financial capabilities without altering the existing governance. The primary rationale underpinning this renewed partnership is to aggressively accelerate the company's geographic expansion through a balanced combination of robust organic growth and targeted external acquisitions.

Lavazza announced the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of MaxiCoffee, France’s leading coffee‑focused online and multi‑channel platform, with a view to strengthening its position in the French market and expanding its e‑commerce footprint. The transaction is structured as a full‑control purchase, with Lavazza becoming the majority owner while current founder and Chairman Christophe Brancato retains a minority stake and continues to lead the company at the operational level. Lavazza’s rationale is to embed a leading French multi‑brand coffee retailer within its own international network, thereby gaining instant scale in B2C and B2B channels and accelerating its digital presence without diluting MaxiCoffee’s established business model. The deal is also aligned with the group’s broader strategy of diversifying its Go‑to‑Market approach, integrating retail and e‑commerce expertise into a largely brand‑and‑manufacturing‑oriented portfolio.

Hardloop completed a EUR3 million funding round to accelerate the development of its technological platform and support its European expansion. The round was led by historical investors Seventure Partners and SGPA, alongside a pool of Business Angels and banking partners (Banque Palatine, LCL, Societe Generale). A key component of this transaction is the opening of the company's capital to its employees, allowing the first wave of staff to become shareholders alongside the founders.

The acquisition of CarNext by Constellation Automotive Group creates a leading European digital used car marketplace, selling more than 2.5 million cars annually for a Gross Merchandise Value of €21bn. The combination of CarNext and Constellation expands the group's vertically integrated C2B, B2B, and B2C marketplace model across seven major European countries, allowing the group to reach unmatched scale. The addition of CarNext's proprietary data analytics and historic European used car transaction data will give Constellation an edge in terms of data and technology excellence. The deal is expected to further boost Constellation's growth across the UK and continental Europe, and comes after the combined group raised more than €2bn this year. The acquisition will allow Constellation to combine the scale of its respective marketplaces to lead the digital transformation of the used car market across Europe.

Societe Generale Capital Partenaires (SGCP) invested EUR1.5 million into the holding company of Groupe LAFRETO. This capital injection is strategically aimed at reducing the group's seasonality exposure. Historically dominant in winter sports, the group has set a target to balance its revenue stream to a 50/50 split between winter and summer activities (leveraging its Golf and Water Sports divisions). The funds will also accelerate international expansion—currently, only the Glisshop brand has a significant footprint outside France (35% of sales) in markets like the UK, Germany, and Spain. Furthermore, the investment supports a recruitment plan for 20 positions and potential future external growth operations.

This transaction is a public-to-private leveraged buyout. The newly formed consortium, acting in concert, signed a binding investment protocol to execute a simplified tender offer aimed at acquiring all outstanding floating shares and delisting the target from the stock exchange. The complex operational structure involves the incoming private equity firm directly acquiring a significant minority stake in the listed entity, coupled with a simultaneous direct equity injection and share purchase within the historical owners' overarching holding company. Together, the concerted parties aim to secure absolute total control over the enterprise.