Acquisition of Robot-Coupe and Magimix by Ardian alongside Hameur Group
FR
Sycomore Corporate Finance acted as Financial Advisor to Ardian in its acquisition of a majority stake in Robot-Coupe and Magimix, alongside Group’s historic shareholder Hameur Group
On July 16th, 2024, Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire a majority stake in two iconic and leading brands Robot-Coupe and Magimix, alongside Hameur Group, who is the Group’s historic shareholder.
Rationale
Ardian and the Hameur Group will support the Robot-Coupe and Magimix’s management teams plan to consolidate their market leadership position through accelerated organic growth and internationalisation. This growth is expected to be delivered by the continued success of their existing products, a pipeline of new innovative solutions and potentially seizing external growth opportunities. Ardian is well placed to support the group’s ambitious strategic plan given its track record, expertise and international network in the Food Value Chain sector.
Founded in 1961 in the French region of Burgundy, Robot-Coupe is the undisputed global market leader in premium benchtop equipment for professional use. Robot-Coupe has become a must-have in all professional kitchens, leveraging its superior brand image and value proposition. Its products are known for their reliability, durability, adaptability, reparability, easy-to-use features and Made-in-France quality.
The company is present in over 130 countries and serves more than 7,000 distributors and importers across the world, with leading market shares in its core geographies (namely the US, France, Australia and the UK). Robot-Coupe’s expansion is supported by a unique sales & marketing strategy, which benefits from a large and proactive on-the-ground sales team.
Over the past 60 years, Robot-Coupe has developed an attractive and innovative product portfolio covering most food preparation, from chopping and mixing to whisking and emulsifying. Its main product groups are food processors, vegetable preparators, juicers, and blenders, with each model designed in a wide range of sizes and functions for greater capacity and versatility.
Magimix was created in 1971 by leveraging Robot-Coupe’s expertise and focuses on premium small kitchen appliances for domestic use. This iconic brand is an industry leader in food preparation equipment such as food processors, blenders, juicers and coffee machines (via a strategic partnership with Nespresso initiated in 1997). The company primarily operates in France, the UK and the Netherlands, and serves a diversified customer base of specialised retailers, department stores and independent retailers, supported by a strong online presence.
Ardian is a world-leading private investment house, managing or advising $166bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,600 clients globally. Its broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to their clients’ differing needs.
Ardian Customized Solutions creates bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. Private Wealth Solutions offers dedicated services and access solutions for private banks, family offices and private institutional investors worldwide.
Ardian’s main shareholding group is its employees, and it places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Its 1,050+ employees, spread across 19 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Ardian’s goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.