Omnes Capital, formerly Crédit Agricole Private Equity, is investing EUR15m in the Eratome group, a social housing renovation specialist, as part of a primary LBO alongside founder, chairman and chief executive officer Jean-Michel Nucera, the company’s managers and FSI Régions – bpifrance.
Founded in 1991 by Nucera, the Eratome group is a leading player in the buildings repair and maintenance market and in social housing renovation and refurbishment. As a multi-specialist, the Eratome group has expertise in all trades (plumbing, painting and decorating, electricity and wiring, floor coverings, carpentry, etc.). It has a 10 per cent market share of the greater Paris region with a customer portfolio comprised exclusively of social housing landlords and four-year contracts.
Operating in a regulated market and sustained by growing needs, the group has asserted itself as a key player in allowing its customers to maintain the attractiveness of their homes.
The Eratome group expects to generate sales of over EUR30m in 2013. It has more than 100 employees and carried out more than 32,000 on-site jobs in 2012.
The aim of the LBO is to strengthen the group’s structure and help to finance its acquisition-based expansion strategy. A number of opportunities have already been identified in the Paris region, where the market is highly fragmented.
Nucera says: “We have found a dynamic and ambitious team that matches our needs. This collaboration with Omnes Capital and FSI Régions will enable us to maintain our market-leading position, while also reinforcing our expansion in the renovations market.”
Benjamin Arm, director at Omnes Capital, adds: “We are proud to be investing in the Eratome group and to be working with the founder and his team in its growth strategy. The group has already demonstrated its ability to carry out acquisitions successfully and this is illustrated in particular by the high quality services offered to its customers. The Eratome group presents all of the strengths needed to succeed in its plans.”
