ICELAND FOODS GROUP acquired by MANAGEMENT & PRIVATE INVESTORS

Ouest Croissance injected less than €5 million into Easy Cash to acquire a minority stake of slightly under 20%. This fundraising is specifically designed to accelerate the group's territorial density, focusing on opening new company-owned branches (subsidiaries) in the city centers of major French metropolises. The transaction also marks the entry of the network leader since 2010, into the capital structure. The historical founders based in Mérignac remain majority shareholders but accepted a slight dilution

Ardian, a leading private investment firm, entered into an agreement to acquire a majority shareholding in Prosol, the operator of the highly successful Grand Frais fresh food retail chain. This transaction marked a significant shift in ownership, as Prosol's founder, Denis Dumont, who had previously maintained a controlling interest, agreed to the preemptive offer from Ardian. The deal was structured as a leveraged buyout, signaling a new phase of development for the rapidly growing retailer. As part of the agreement, key stakeholders demonstrated their long-term commitment to the business, with both the founder and the existing management team, led by President Hervé Vallat, reinvesting alongside the new majority owner

JD Sports acquired 100% of Go Outdoors (>�200m of revenues) from its founders and private equity backers (YFM Equity Partners and 3i Group). The strategic rationale was purely about portfolio complementarity: while JD's existing brands (Blacks, Millets) dominated the traditional "High Street" locations with smaller footprints and higher price points, Go Outdoors dominated the "Out-of-Town" destination market with massive inventory and lower prices. There was minimal geographic overlap between the two estates

Maisons du Monde successfully completed its initial public offering (IPO) on Euronext Paris in May 2016, marking a key milestone in the group's evolution following several leveraged buyout (LBO) cycles. The transaction was structured as a global offering, combining a new share issue and a sale of existing shares by historical financial shareholders, including Bain Capital. The IPO raised approximately €330 million, with a fixed price of €17 per share, resulting in a market capitalization of around €769 million at the time of listing

Lagardere acquired 100% of the holding company of Paradies. The sellers were the private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co and the founding Paradies family. The transaction combined Lagardere's existing North American operations with Paradies to create a new entity generating ~$800 million in sales.

Dufry AG has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of The Nuance Group. This transformational operation confirms the group as the global leader in the airport retail industry, reaching a 15% worldwide market share and a combined presence in 63 countries. The strategic rationale centers on the highly complementary nature of the two portfolios, strengthening the group's positioning in key regions such as the Mediterranean, Asia, and North America. Specifically, the acquisition adds significant retail operations in strategic markets like Turkey, Malta, and mainland China, while reinforcing the group's leadership in the United States and Canada

The transaction marks the sale of Maisons du Monde to Bain Capital, following a competitive process involving several private equity players, including Axa Private Equity and PAI Partners. LBO France, Apax Partners, and NiXEN Partners, which had held a stake in the group since the secondary LBO in 2008, are divesting their interest in this deal, while management retains a significant stake to ensure strategic and operational continuity. The founder also remains invested, providing stability to the entrepreneurial project and continuity of the brand's original vision

PPR (Kering) entered into exclusive negotiations with Alpha Private Equity Fund 6 for the sale of its Children & Family division (Cyrillus and Vertbaudet). The transaction was valued at an Enterprise Value of €119 million. This divestment is a strategic step in PPR's transformation into a pure-play global leader in Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle (Gucci, PUMA, etc.). For the targets, the deal marks the end of their era within a large retail conglomerate (Redcats) and the beginning of their journey as an independent group

Apax Partners and LBO France have formed a 50-50 consortium to acquire Maisons du Monde through a secondary leveraged buyout (LBO), following a competitive sale process. The transaction allows the two funds to take control of approximately 70% of the French home furnishings and decoration specialist's equity, succeeding the previous investor duo of Barclays Private Equity and Ixen, which had supported the company's initial growth phase. Under this new shareholder structure, the management team, led by founder Xavier Marie, retains around 20% of the equity, while a minority shareholder with historical ties to Natixis Private Equity remains on board with a stake of less than 10%

The transaction involves a joint acquisition of Maisons du Monde by Barclays Private Equity and Natexis Industrie through a management buyout (MBO), with the goal of supporting the company's next phase of growth. The deal takes place as the business is experiencing sustained growth momentum, driven by the expansion of its store network and the strengthening of its brand reputation in the mass market home decor sector. The objective of the transaction is to support the accelerated development of the store network (currently comprising 132 outlets), with a steady pace of openings in France and Europe, as well as the gradual structuring of international operations