FINANZEN.NET acquired by INFLEXION

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.

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.

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.

Latour Capital has successfully completed the capital reorganization of European Digital Group, acquiring a 30% stake alongside historical partner Montefiore Investment. This "LBO Bis" transaction, orchestrated by Lazard, was highly competitive, attracting interest from major funds such as Towerbrook and Marlin Equity Partners. The deal is strictly engineered to fuel a massive scale-up phase, aiming to quadruple the group’s revenue from €250M to €1Bn by 2028. To adequately capitalize this ambition, a senior debt package was arranged by a syndicate including CACIB, La Banque Postale, BNP Paribas, and Allianz, representing a leverage of approximately 4x EBITDA. This new funding cycle focuses on aggressive internationalization—targeting 35% of revenue from abroad by 2028—and the continued acquisition of specialists, particularly Salesforce and ServiceNow integrators.

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.