LBO France has entered into exclusive negotiations with Sagard for the acquisition of HMY Group, an international company specialising in the design, manufacturing and fitting of retail furniture.
Created in 1960, HMY offers a wide range of furniture (shelving systems, checkouts and bespoke) and provides its clients with integrated service solutions, from conception to their installation in the shop.
HMY’s clients range from the top food retailers to the leading specialised retailers, which include DIY, gardening, fashion or electric appliance chains. The group has diversified in offering POS fittings for international consumer brands.
Active in almost 80 countries, HMY is the market leader in France and Spain, its historic core markets (70 per cent of turnover) as well as in China, and employs 4,000 people around the world. In 2016, the group generated EUR485 million of sales.
Sagard had been a majority shareholder of HMY since January 2005, together with management.
Vincent Briançon, partner at LBO France, says: “Undisputed leader in its historic markets in France and Spain, HMY has become a global player with the support of its shareholders, with in particular a strong presence in China where it is now a leading shopfitter. Strengthened by its unique international coverage, the group has also diversified its activity with POS solutions for global consumer brands, with great successes like the partnership with Adidas. We are delighted to support the management in this new development cycle and should be able to leverage our expertise of the POS and shelving markets, acquired in particular through our past investments in Diam and Averys.”
Frédéric Stolar, founding partner at Sagard, adds: “We are proud to have accompanied the successful development and industrial transformation of HMY over more than 10 years. The company is now a global leader with a strong positioning within its key markets. Under the leadership of Ignacio Marin Villamayor, HMY developed a robust product offering targeting the new, highly promising POS market and serving high-profile clients such as Adidas, to which it is a top supplier. Sagard remained a loyal supporter of the management team through sometimes difficult periods, and we are proud of this successful exit with LBO France.”
Ignacio Marin Villamayor, CEO of HMY, says: “Thanks to the constant support of Sagard, shareholder of the Group for the past 12 years, HMY has become a world leader in its traditional markets. We are now pleased to have a new shareholder, LBO France, who will actively support the Group in its sectorial and geographical development, especially with acquisitions, in order to reiterate its position as a consolidation platform in the sector. The diversification into areas such as new technologies and lighting will position HMY as the leader in retail innovation.”
