
Qualium backs Magnolia.fr MBO
Qualium Investissement has acquired a minority stake in Magnolia.fr, an online insurance brokerage company, investing alongside CEO Gérald Loobuyck.
Magnolia had been running a process to divest the stake, attracting interest from Andera Partners and Chequers Capital, according to a report by Unquote sister publication Mergermarket published in July. The sell side was marketing the company based on an adjusted run-rate EBITDA of approximately €8m, Mergermarket reported this summer.
The transaction values Magnolia at €100m, according to French publication Capital Finance.
Senior debt for the transaction was provided by Crédit Agricole.
Qualium intends to support the business in its organic growth and back some external acquisitions. The GP, a spinout from Caisse des Dépôt, is currently investing via its second fund, Qualium II. The fund aims to make majority buyouts, injecting between €20-75m in equity into European small and medium-sized companies valued between €40-250m.
Company
Founded in 2002 and based in Mont-Saint-Aignan, Magnolia is an online insurance brokerage company offering its clients expertise dedicated to loan insurance. The business processes 50,000 simulation requests per year via its B2B and B2C merchant sites. Its 30 experts in mortgage insurance help borrowers make significant savings.
People
Qualium Investissement – Boris Podevin (partner); Cyprien Choutet (executive director); Angèle Martin (associate).
Magnolia.fr – Gérald Loobuyck (CEO).
Advisers
Equity – PricewaterhouseCoopers, Céline Appel Schneider, Bruno Boiziot (financial due diligence); Ares & Co, Gilles Fabre, Magellan Consulting (strategic due diligence); Magellan Consulting, Hans Willert (commercial due diligence); PwC Société d’Avocats, Jérôme Gertler, Fabien Radisic, Bernard Borrely, Pierre Birotheau (legal); Mayer Brown, Hadrien Schlumberger, Ségolène Dufetel, Maud Bischoff, Elodie Deschamps (legal).
Vendor – Cambon Partners, Guillaume Eymar, Morgann Lesné (corporate finance); Linklaters, Marc Petitier (legal).
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