Equistone-backed Meilleurtaux.com acquires MerciHenri.com

Meilleurtaux.com completed the acquisition through holding company Finizy, a group providing information, comparison, consulting and intermediation financial services. Its brands include Meilleurtauxsolutions.com, Meilleurtauxpro.com, Meilleureassurance.com, MeilleurtauxMaroc.com and Meilleurbanque.com. 

The deal marks Meilleurtaux.com's third investment in the last two years following the acquisitions of Choisir-ma-banque in 2014 and Préféo in 2016. Earlier this year, the group also launched a service focused on professional loans – Meilleurtauxpro.com.

With the launch of Meilleureassurance.com in June, the website expanded into the health, property and casualty markets – an expansion that will now be reinforced with the addition of MerciHenri.com.

As part of the transation, Christophe Triquet, founder of MerciHenri.com, joins the management of Meilleurtaux.com to lead its property, casualty and health insurance division.

Previous funding
In November 1999, Natixis Private Equity (via Natixis Ventech) led a €760,000 early-stage round in the company, acquiring a 33% equity stake. The following year, Natixis was joined by Galileo Partners and Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRip – then known as Compagnie Financiere Edmond de Rothschild) in a second round amounting to €5.49m, through which the backers acquired a combined 53% stake. Galileo provided a FFr 18m investment in the deal.

In 2007, Caisse Nationale des Caisses d'Epargne (CNCE) acquired a 50.14% stake for around €70m, according to unquote data". The GP increased its stake and delisted the business in 2009, for an overall investment reported to stand at nearly €200m.

Equistone subsequently acquired the group in 2013 from BPCE Group, formed in 2009 by the merger of CNCE and Banque Fédérale des Banques Populaires (BFBP). According to unquote data", the deal valued Meilleurtaux.com at around €20m. Equistone invested through its Fund IV. 

BlackFin Capital Partners and JC Flowers were also tipped as potential buyers for the business, unquote" reported at the time. The investment came shortly after Equistone had closed its Equistone IV fund on €1.5bn.

Company
MerciHenri.com (formerly LeComparateurAssurance.com) specialises in the comparison of health, housing, car and motorcycle insurance, using geolocalisation as a tool. The website also enables the comparison of funeral, dependency, life, animal products and corporate insurances. The company is based in Lille and employs 18 people. It has served in excess of three million customers since inception in 2011.

Founded in 1999, Meilleurtaux.com advises users seeking financial services, with a particular focus on mortgages. The business has partnerships with numerous French retail banks and insurers to provide customers with the best financing advice on credit rates, mortgage loans, insurance, banking and savings. The group manages around 235 agencies in Paris and other French cities. It currently employs 165 people.

People
Finizy – Herve Hatt (CEO).
MerciHenri.com – Christophe Triquet (founder).

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Portfolio management
• France
• Financials
• France
• Build-up
• Equistone Partners Europe
• Natixis