OCELLUS GROUPE acquired by ELEVATION CAPITAL PARTNERS

Blackstone has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Skroutz, the leading online e-commerce marketplace in Greece, from CVC Capital Partners Fund VII. The transaction architecture includes a partial equity monetization by the company's historical founders, who will retain a minority stake and maintain operational leadership under the continued direction of CEO George Chatzigeorgiou. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals. The investment thesis is driven by regional e-commerce under-penetration and secular tailwinds across Southeast Europe, positioned against a strong Greek macroeconomic backdrop characterized by real GDP per capita growth consistently outperforming the eurozone average. Skroutz has successfully evolved from a price-comparison site into a pure, vertically integrated e-commerce ecosystem. The platform unifies a massive retail marketplace with proprietary last-mile logistics, fulfillment networks, a licensed fintech infrastructure, and an expanding retail media division.

For the first time since being taken over in 2008, Colibri – Promesse de Fleurs has opened its capital to an institutional investor. Nord Capital Partenaires has acquired a minority stake by buying out the historical individual investors (friends and family) who backed President 18 years ago. Griot retains majority control of the group. The strategic rationale for the deal is to clean up the cap table and provide a springboard for an ambitious international expansion plan across Northern and Eastern Europe (including the Netherlands, Portugal, and Finland). The transaction includes a refinancing of existing bank debt but incorporates no new leverage (zero-leverage LBO model), ensuring that all future cash flows can be reinvested into logistics, digital marketing, and the opening of international warehouses.

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.

Sparring Capital acquired a majority stake in Elec 44 to facilitate a management transition as the founders sought to step back from operations. The transaction involves the recruitment of a new CEO to lead the next growth phase. Sparring invested a ticket between €10 million and €15 million (mix of equity and bonds). The founders reinvested alongside the fund. A senior debt package completes the financing with a leverage of approximately 3x EBITDA.

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.