Chausson Matériaux

Founded in 1921 by the Chausson family, Chausson Matériaux is headed by brothers Pierre-Georges and Philippe Chausson and is the third largest trader of construction materials in France. They have a turnover of €924m, with 351 agencies in France, and they employ 3,850 people.

This latest round of financing, the fourth in the company’s history, aims to increase the company’s equity base in order to support their external growth strategy and enlarge the current offer of services and their client base. Large investments in logistics tools now mean the group can pursue its objective of strong development in the online sale of construction materials.

The president, Pierre-Georges Chausson, asked their longstanding investor Credit Mutuel Equity to lead a new pool of investors, with the aim of increasing the capital by €75m. Credit Mutuel Equity, the leader of this round, invested with IDIA Capital Investissement (via the LCL Croissance and the Credit Agricole Régions Développement funds), Grand Sud Ouest Capital, BNP Paribas Développement and IRDI Soridec Gestion (via the IRDI and IRDI B funds).

“ Surrounded by investors who we know well, I hope to pursue this new stage of growth with confidence, with very long-term partners guaranteeing their share capital, and having the ability to remain by our side for a long time. Furthermore this pool of investors brought by Crédit Mutuel Equity allows us to preserve our freedom of action with the same autonomous management system ” explained Pierre-Georges Chausson.

Cutting edge investments made over recent years shall continue.

The 15,000 m² state-of-the-art logistics site at Lavaur, which has one of the only Autostore systems in France, will become 100% automated and entirely dedicated to E-commerce as from March 2021.
Backed by IT and digital tools which are already high performing, with a website of almost 50,000 online orders, 3 650 business customers including 40% new customers, this Toulouse-based company intends pursuing investment in the development of its E-commerce activity. This will broaden the reach of the company and target new customers thanks to the range of digital services offered which will allow the development of the click and collect sales plan.
This sustained investment policy in digital and logistics tools, coupled with a strong mobilisation of our teams has allowed the company to hold up well against the current recession, limiting its impact on the 2020 fiscal year.

“ We are very familiar with this great family-run middle-market company which is innovative and agile. For almost a century, it has shown that it is not only capable of resisting economic downturns but also developing rapidly thanks to a proven business model which mixes the spirit of a local business and customer service with an exceptional capacity for anticipation. The logistics tool, the cornerstone of the Chausson Matériaux model, is a good illustration of this. With a strong family duo at its head, who have succeeded in instilling a strong company culture and securing the loyalty of a team of experienced managers, the company has all the necessary assets to pursue its development, namely thanks to its skill in identifying and integrating external growth operations ” explain Alexandre Joubert and Antoine Arlet, Investment Portfolio Directors at Credit Mutuel Equity.

Contact us