The De Agostini Group and Activa Capital are finalising the acquisition by Activa Capital of a majority position in Atlas For Men, alongside the existing management team.
De Agostini is a family-owned private group active worldwide, with activities in several business areas: publishing, media, gaming and communication, as well as the historic activities in multi-channel publishing and selling. In 1999, the group developed a new business in distance selling, Atlas For Men, led by Marc Delamarre.
In recent years, Atlas For Men has become a European multi-channel leader in the distance selling of outdoor clothing for men, with a 40 per cent market share in this sector in France.
Since its inception, the company has undergone extremely strong growth, reaching nearly EUR130 million sales in 2015 with over 50 per cent generated abroad (~30 per cent in Germany) compared to sales of EUR30 million in 2007 in France.
Activa Capital, alongside the management team, aims to accelerate the international development of the company, already well positioned in seven countries in addition to France, and to further develop the multi-channel internet sales, by providing capital and energy under a new independent structure.
Christophe Parier, partner at Activa Capital, says: “We were impressed by the energy and entrepreneurship demonstrated by Marc Delamarre to grow Atlas For Men and to achieve international annual double-digit growth. We are convinced that by becoming an independent company, led by its shareholder-managers, Atlas For Men’s growth will accelerate and that Activa Capital can provide the management with the dynamism necessary to achieve its high ambitions."
Marc Delamarre, managing director of Atlas For Men, says: “With Activa Capital, we found a financial partner who can support us in our independent growth project. Our track record demonstrates the strength of our business model, with our specialisation on targeted products and collections, our strong knowledge of our customers and our ability to retain them. Our independence allows us to use our energy to carry out our ambitious development project.”
Olivier Izard, CEO of the direct marketing division of De Agostini Group, adds: “We are all proud to have supported the strong growth and the new autonomous organisation of Atlas For Men. Our international expertise has enabled us to quickly take solid positions across Europe and Russia. It is also a successful story of value creation for the Group, in a competitive pan-European sector.”
The project includes mezzanine debt financing from Indigo Capital.
The transaction is subject to the notification of the transaction to the French Autorité de la concurrence. The closing is expected in the coming weeks.
