Omnes et al. back Camerus, which bolts on Lign'Expo

The buyout transaction coincides with the bolt-on of domestic peer Lign'Expo. Together, the two businesses are valued in the €25-30m range, Unquote understands. 

The transaction sees historical majority owner Omnes decrease its stake in the business, while BPI France and Siparex Mezzanine become minority investors, backing Camerus for the first time.  

Omnes now owns a substantial minority of less than 40%, Unquote understands.

Management has also reinvested in the company and now owns a bigger stake than in the previous capital structure, a person familiar with the situation confirmed. 

Camerus also sees its debt refinanced. The leverage consisted of a senior debt package, 70% of which is senior term loan A and 30% a senior term loan B, as well as a small portion of mezzanine debt provided by Siparex Mezzanine, Unquote has learned. 

The new debt arrangement will help the business continue its organic development and external growth strategy.

Previous funding
Omnes has been an investor in the asset since 2013. At the time, it bought the business in an MBO transaction from the previous owner, the D&P investment fund, which backed Camerus since 2009.

The 2013 transaction was supported by senior debt provided by BECM, Caisse d'Epargne and Banque Palatine, according to Unquote sister publication Debtwire. 

Company
Founded in 1992, Camerus is a furniture rental company for trade fairs, conferences and professional events, and generated around €16m in revenues in 2018. The company has headquarters in Gonesse and facilities in Lyon and Toulouse.

Founded in 1993 and based in Toulouse, Lign'Expo rents furniture used in events taking place in south-west France.

People
Camerus Group – Christine Atzemis (chair).
BPI France – Fabrice Lemarchand (investment director).
Omnes Capital – Laurent Espic (partner).
Siparex Mezzanine – Clément Barbier (investment manager).  

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• Buyouts
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• Secondary buyout