Paris, March 29 th , 2019 – LBO France has acquired a majority stake in the Infodis Group, a French specialist in facilities management and systems & network engineering, alongside Vighen Papazian, Infodis’ chairman and founder; Jacques Gourseaud and Florent Burlet, its deputy CEOs; and Walid Abi Chahla, head of its Visualdis unit; as well as other managers who will hold equity stakes.
Founded in 1985 and based in Roissy, near Paris, theInfodis Group currently employs around 500 people. In recent years, it has achieved steady organic growth while undertaking targeted acquisitions. Its successful integration of several companies, including ITCOM in 2011 and SRID in December 2016, has allowed it to build up its skills, particularly in facilities management of workstations for banks and insurance companies. These acquisitions have also allowed it to expand its portfolio of historical clients in manufacturing, media and services for the banking and insurance sectors, whose IT service needs are growing. The Group is one of the few players of this size to have a portfolio consisting of almost 200 direct clients, 70% of which are major clients.
In expanding its technical and human resources, the Infodis Group is firmly carving out a role as a highvalue-added digital company with an expertise in the digital transformation of companies. The Infodis Group is currently organised around three complementary divisions covering its three main business lines:
• The Expertise & Integration Division (DEI) covers consulting, technological or complex projects, technical integration, and infrastructure management;
• The Operational Services Division (DSO) takes in all digital workplace solutions, including office engineering, user experience, mobility solutions, and application production;
• The Digital Video Division, through Visualdis, a company specialising in digital video solutions for companies and audio-visual professionals.
Having become a key player on its market, Infodis plans to avail itself of LBO France’s support to accelerate its development through both organic and external growth in France and other countries
Nicolas Manardo, Managing Director at LBO France: “For this sixth investment in our small cap strategy, we have chosen a company that features experienced management, with an excellent financial track record and a strong performance over the years, as well as a bright outlook for future growth. We are looking forward to assisting the company’s founders and managers in an ambitious development project that is driven by both strong resiliency in its business lines and very attractive external growth opportunities”.
Vighen Papazian, Chairman and Founder of the Infodis Group: “We have chosen to rely on a first-tier partner to pursue our development strategy, while holding onto our operational independence. This new 2 stage will allow the group I founded 34 years ago to continue developing while sticking to its fundamentals. Having an equity investor on board like LBO France will speed up our development on a highly competitive market, particularly by expanding in facilities management, managed services and high-level expertise in complex environments”.
Main parties involved in the transaction:
Buyers & consultants Infodis management: Vighen Papazian, Jacques Gourseaud, Florent Burlet, Walid Abi Chahla
Managers/legal counsel: Lamartine (Vincent Libaud), TMA (Emma Bensoussan)
LBO France: Nicolas Manardo, Emmanuel Fiorentino
UGGC (LBO France legal counsel & legal, tax and labour due diligence): Julien Mayeras, Camille Hevin, Fabien Rorato, Michel Turon
LBO France financial due diligence: Exelmans (Stéphane Dahan, Manuel Manas, Matthieu Reglade)
LBO France strategic due diligence: LEK (Serge Hovsepian, Frédéric Dessertine, David Bishop, Benjamin Tuchman)
AP Management (LBO France consultant): Pierre-Yves Dargaud, Sébastien Dray
Financing
Indigo Capital: Cyril de Galea, Laurent Warlop
De Pardieu (mezzanine debt legal counsel): Jean-François Pourdieu, Sandra Benhaïm, Alexandre Bankowski
A/B tranche senior debt: Co-Arrangers: CIC (David Paquet, Julien Mallot) BPRI (Olivier Grisard, Virgine Rojo y Pinto), Caisse d’épargne
C tranche senior debt: SCOR Investment Partners (Rémy Chupin, Pierre Cousin)
Bank debt lawyers: Volt (Alexandre Tron, François Jubin, Morgane The Gallic)
Vendors & consultants
Ciclad (vendors): Stéphane Billon, Ying Xiao
Archers (selling shareholders’ legal counsel): Lamartine (Vincent Libaud), TMA (Emma Bensoussan)
EY CF (selling shareholders’ legal counsel): Rudy Cohen-Scali, Julie Van de Velde, Matthieu Banal (financing)
Vendor financial due diligence: Grant Thornton (Thierry Dartus)
About LBO France As a key player in private equity with €4bn of capital under management, LBO France is an independent company that has been supporting French and Italian companies in their growth for more than 30 years. Its investment strategy is built on 4 distinct segments managed by dedicated teams: (i) Mid Cap Buyout through the White Knight funds and Small Cap Buyout through the Hexagone/Small Caps Opportunities funds, (ii) Venture Capital through the SISA/Digital Health funds, (iii) Real Estate through the White Stone and Lapillus funds, (iv) Debt. Historically focused on Institutional and Family Office investors, LBO France has recently launched the FCPR White Caps Selection, a private equity fund accessible to individuals through multi-strategy funds. LBO France is 100% owned by its management and employs nearly 60 professionals.
About Groupe Infodis
Founded in 1985, Groupe Infodis operates on the high-tech market through two subsidiaries: Infodis IT and Visualdis. Agile and financially solid, and founded more than 30 years ago by its current chairman, the group is headed by hands-on managers who are also key shareholders who work closely on a daily basis with their clients and employees.
Press contacts
Agence SHAN
Sophie Thiard – +33 6 13 81 00 92 – sophie.thiard@shan.fr
Léa Schultz – + 33 1 42 86 82 81 – lea.schultz@shan.fr
Agence Les Rois Mages
Louise Henry – +33 1 41 10 08 08 – louise.henry@lesroismages.fr