Bain and Axa PE duel for Maisons du Monde

The final bids could value Maisons du Monde at up to €700m, further highlighting the timid revival of the French large-cap market witnessed in recent weeks. The company's owners, French GPs LBO France and Apax, had mandated Lazard and Messier Maris to sell Maisons du Monde in February.

The two GPs acquired a majority stake in Maison du Monde in an SBO from Barclays Private Equity in 2008 – the deal was at the time believed to be worth around €400m. The two investors secured a joint 70% stake, with management retaining around 20% and original investor Nixen reducing its interest to less than 10%.

Maison du Monde was founded in 1996 by Xavier Marie and is based in Nantes. The company specialises in home decorations and furniture retail. The group posted revenues of €495m in 2012, up 17% on 2011 figures.

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• Topics
• France
• Consumer
• Buyouts
• Exits
• France
• Axa Private Equity
• Bain Capital