Pechel, Ommes back Jems Group MBO

The transaction saw managers Jacques Benhamou, Nicolas Laroche, Olivier Laine, Litza Sztejnfeld, Cyrille Coqueret, Aymen Ghadghadi and Hamid Laghrissi acquire minority stakes in the company.

The buyout was sourced by Pechel, the lead investor in the transaction, investing €15-20m in the deal, Unquote understands.

The GP used Pechel IV, closed on €160m in 2016, to invest in the company. The fund backs French lower-mid-market companies with enterprise values of €20-200m. The investment size is €8-25m per company.

Pechel IV is deployed at more than 80% and should be used for one more transaction, Unquote has learned.

Omnes' co-investment team backed the transaction alongside Pechel. The team typically backs companies with an EV of more than €50m and invests a maximum of €20m per transaction. 

The GPs are planning to support the business in its acquisitive growth.

Senior debt for the transaction was provided by Banque Palatine and Societe Generale, while Idinvest provided mezzanine debt. The debt amounts to approximately 3x the company's EBITDA, Unquote understands.

Company
Founded in 2002 and based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Jems Group specialises in big data and cloud computing. It has a headcount of 350 and the business generated revenues of €38.5m at the time of the acquisition, according to Pechel's website.

People
Pechel – Gontran Duchesne (partner); Thibaut Bourlet (associate).
Jems Group – Jacques Benhamou (president).

Advisers
Company – Rothschild & Co (corporate finance); Hoche Avocats (legal); Exelmans Audit & Conseil (financial due diligence); NG Finance (corporate finance); Johann Bouskila (legal).
Equity – RSM (corporate finance); Digital Value (strategic due diligence); Dentons (legal).

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• Topics
• Buyouts
• France
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• France
• Omnes Capital
• Pechel Industries
• Buy-and-build