Omnes holds final close for Omnes Croissance 4 on €210m

The announcement comes six months after the fund hit its €180m target after more than two years on the road. A first close had previously been held on €82m in December 2014. 

Omnes Croissance 4 was launched in late 2013, after Omnes gained full independence from Crédit Agricole, having bought all the shares previously held by Coller Capital.

The fourth generation of Omnes's mid-cap funds, Omnes Croissance 4 will maintain a strategy similar to the previous generations, which includes a 15% IRR for fund 2 launched in 2005 and liquidated in 2016, according to the GP.

Investors
Omnes Croissance 4 received commitments from long-standing investors as well as new French and foreign institutional investors, including banks, funds-of-funds, insurance companies, pension funds and family offices.

Crédit Agricole contributed a cornerstone investment of €70m when the fund was launched. However, it is the first time that Omnes has raised a fund without relying exclusively on its former parent Crédit Agricole, as the fund is also open to external investors.

Crédit Agricole and its investors represent 40% of the pool, while institutional investors make up 50% and high-net-worth individuals 10%. Institutional investors (around 15, according to the GP) include insurance companies, mutual insurances, pension funds and funds-of-funds, which for the most part are France-based, except for a few coming from the UK, Belgium, or the US (around 8% in total).

Investments
Omnes Croissance 4 is the GP's fourth mid-cap fund, focusing on the mid-market buyout and growth capital segments in France. It will target French SMEs with a turnover that falls within the €25-180m range, investing equity tickets between €8-25m.

Omnes usually targets French companies exclusively; however, bolt-on acquisitions for portfolio companies can involve foreign businesses. About two thirds of the fund will be dedicated to the primary market, and an overlapping two thirds of the transactions should involve non-Parisian businesses.

The GP also said it would target companies with a strong digital focus, operating within the most active sectors on the French market, including B2B companies and the digital economy, among others.

Four investments have so far been made from the fund: Cogepart, a €9m OBO in February 2015; the Bimedia MBO in October 2015; Capcom, a €9.5m OBO in October 2015; and Dispam, in which Omnes bought a majority stake in an €11m OBO in December 2015. Other deals are already at an "advanced stage", according to the GP.

In total, the GP is looking to hold a dozen portfolio companies via the fund. Two or three transactions are currently underway.

People
Omnes Capital – Benjamin Arm (managing partner); Eric Rey (partner).

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

• Topics
• Buyout
• France
• France
• Omnes Capital