Omnes Capital has sold its stake in the Melkonian Group, a provider of mining and underground works equipment, to the founding family as well as Bpifrance, Amundi PEF and Sofipaca.
Based in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), the Melkonian Group is a family-owned company that designs, manufactures and sells equipment and spare parts for extracting and transporting minerals in the hard rock underground mining segment. Its offer includes the sale and construction of new or reconditioned equipment and the supply of spare parts and accessories.
Omnes Capital had acquired an equity interest alongside the Melkonian family in the Melkonian Group as part of an owner buy-out (OBO) in 2008.
Supported by Omnes Capital, the Melkonian Group experienced a strong growth with an increase of over 60 per cent of the turnover over the period. The quality of its business model, the dynamism of its sales force (sales staff increase of over 50 per cent between 2008 and 2012), the development of a specific range produced in own and dedicated to the extraction of vein deposits, as well as the opening of new subsidiaries in Niger and Burkina-Faso are all elements that have enabled the group to grow faster than the market.
Geneviève, Marc and Christophe Melkonian, co-presidents of the group, say: “The support we received from Omnes Capital was in all points essential. Both because they have given us a total confidence in all our decisions, even during the severe financial crisis that followed their arrival in the capital, and because they gave us advice and trust that allowed us to achieve a performance of over 60 per cent of sales and operating income between 2008 and 2012. We are the second generation of entrepreneurs in the family-owned group and we will never forget the Omnes Capital – Melkonian Group partnership.”
Benjamin Arm, director, Omnes Capital, say: “We are proud to have supported the strong growth of the Melkonian Group by contributing to the strategic evolutions implemented.”
