Founded in 1991 by Stive Lellouche, Au Forum Du Bâtiment specialises in the distribution of hardware, tools, and industrial supplies for second-fix construction professionals (locksmithing, plumbing, bathroom fixtures, heating, electricity, metalwork), government agencies, and major companies via a network of 100 stores in France and, since 2018, via the website Sobrico.com.
Au Forum Du Bâtiment distributes around 70,000 different products from some of the biggest brands, as well as from its own four brands: Héraclès (locks and security doors), Garis (taps and bathroom fixtures), Ultima (screws and other attachment parts), and Hanger (tools).
With its 800 employees, the company expects to generate over € 200 million in turnover this year.
The growth plan for 2023 – 2026 relies on strengthening the network of stores, building up the Sobrico.com website, and maintaining robust logistical resources allocated to the strategy for strong growth with the opening of a new warehouse of around 25,000 m2, located in Joué-lès-Tours (central France), adding to the 12,000-m2 warehouse in Chambly (near Paris), which is ISO 14001-certified.
To obtain the resources needed to carry out its growth plan, Au Forum Du Bâtiment conducted a round of fundraising in which Crédit Mutuel Equity acquired an equity stake of just under 20%. The company also strengthened its governance with support from CME.
“We were looking for a partner that would share our values to support us through a new stage in our development. We immediately established a relationship of trust with the Crédit Mutuel Equity team. We are looking ahead to the growth of our business in the medium term, working towards sustainability, as seen in our new facility in Joué-lès-Tours, which is a redeveloped industrial site,” explains Stive Lellouche, Chairman of Au Forum Du Bâtiment Group.
“We are delighted to be completing this transaction built on a solid growth plan. The company’s management has a wealth of experience with local development, paired with a serious track record of build-up, having completed 20 or so acquisitions since 2002. Au Forum Du Bâtiment, one of the top five players in France and historically positioned as a B2B distributor, has succeeded in establishing its B2C offering via its e-commerce website Sobrico.com, which is seeing strong growth. From the very beginning, we had constructive interactions and saw eye to eye with Stive Lellouche and his teams. That convinced us of the value of this partnership,” adds Franck Thouroude, Director at Crédit Mutuel Equity.
“The quality of conversations and the sharing of a vision for the strategy of Au Forum Du Bâtiment Group, between Stive Lellouche and the Crédit Mutuel Equity team, have already generated value,” says Thierry Moreau of Financière Breteuil, who advised AFDB in this transaction.
- Investors
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- Crédit Mutuel Equity :
- Franck Thouroude, Director
+33 1 53 48 53 18 - Quentin Choisnet, Business Manager
+33 1 53 48 53 16
- Investor experts
- Business lawyers
Fieldfisher (Pascal Squercioni, Natalia Toribio, Valentin Segret) - Financial due diligence
Grant Thornton (Thierry Dartus, Maellia Guelimi, Martin Charbonnier) - Legal & corporate due diligence
Fieldfisher (Pascal Squercioni, Natalia Toribio) - Tax and social due diligence
Fieldfisher (Antoine Gabizon, Laurence Dumure Lambert) - Intellectual property, real property, and contract due diligence
Fieldfisher (Nathalie Hadjadj-Cazier, David Bensimon, Anne-Laure-Hélène des Ylouses)
- Au Forum Du Bâtiment
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- Stive Lellouche, Chairman
- Sylvain Jouanny, CFO
- Company experts
- M&Aconsulting
Financière Breteuil (Thierry Moreau) - Business lawyers
Asmar & Assayag (Ari Assayag, Audrey Lagrange)
About Crédit Mutuel Equity
Crédit Mutuel Equity is home to all of the Private Equity activities of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale: Capital Développement (Capital Development), Capital Transmission (Capital Transfer), and Capital Innovation.
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About Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale:
A leading French bank and insurance company, with over 75,000 employees and serving over 29 million customers, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale offers a range of services to individual customers, local professionals, and companies of all sizes, via its 4,500 points of sale. Among the most solid banking groups in Europe, its equity capital amounted to € 53.2 billion and its CET1 ratio stood at 18.8% on 31 December 2021.
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