• Home
  •  
    Regions
    • Europe
    • UK & Ireland
    • DACH
    • Nordic
    • France
    • Southern Europe
    • Benelux
    • CEE
    • Asia
  •  
    Deals
    • Buyouts
    • Venture
    • Exits
    • Refinancings
    • Build-up
    • Turnaround
    • Secondaries
    • Advanced deals search
  •  
    Funds
    • Buyout
    • Venture
    • Mezzanine
    • Debt
    • Funds-of-funds
    • Secondaries
    • Fundraising pipelines
    • Advanced funds search
  •  
    GPs & LPs
    • GP profiles
    • LP profiles
    • GP news
    • LP news
    • Sponsors search
    • LPs search
  •  
    Secondaries
    • Deals
    • Funds
    • News
    • Analysis
  •  
    People
    • People moves
    • Analysis
    • In Profile
    • Q&A
    • Videos
    • Comment
  •  
    Analysis
    • In Profile
    • Fundraising
    • Q&A
    • Comment
    • Videos
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Data Snapshots
  •  
    Unquote Data
    • Deals search
    • Exits search
    • Funds search
    • Sponsors search
    • Advisers search
    • LPs search
    • League tables
    • Reports
  • Sign in
  • Sign in
    • You are currently accessing unquote.com via your Enterprise account.

      If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.

      If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.

      Phone: +44 (0)203 741 1137

      Email: Georgina.Lawson@acuris.com

      • Sign in
     
      • Newsletters
      • Account details
      • Contact support
      • Sign out
     
  • Follow us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
  • Free Trial
  • Subscribe
Unquote
Unquote
  • Home
  • Regions
  • Deals
  • Funds
  • GPs & LPs
  • Secondaries
  • People
  • Analysis
  • Unquote Data
  • You are currently accessing unquote.com via your Enterprise account.

    If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.

    If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.

    Phone: +44 (0)203 741 1137

    Email: Georgina.Lawson@acuris.com

    • Sign in
 
    • Newsletters
    • Account details
    • Contact support
    • Sign out
 
Unquote
  • Buyout

Fund in Focus: Ardian raises €4.5bn for sixth LBO Fund

European fund raise
France-based GP has an additional €500m co-investment pocket for LPs in its latest vehicle, accounting for around 15% of the fund
  • Alice Tchernookova
  • Alice Tchernookova
  • @alicetcherno
  • 06 October 2016
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Google plus  
  • Send to  

Earlier this month, Ardian announced the closing of LBO Fund VI on its €4bn hard-cap. Philippe Poletti, head of Ardian’s mid-cap buyout team, speaks to Alice Tchernookova about the firm’s track record since its spinout from the Axa group in 2013

Closed after just four months on the road, Ardian's Fund VI is the quickest fundraise completed by the French GP to date, and is nearly double the amount the GP raised for its previous vehicle: LBO Fund V closed on €2.41bn in October 2013.

On top of the €4bn gathered for the France-domiciled fund itself, Ardian also put in place a €500m co-investment pocket for its LPs – a way to strengthen relations with investors, according to the GP. A similar measure had been put in place for Fund V, with co-investment rights amounting to around 15% of the fund.

“Our current success is the result of the work we’ve done since inception, and of the success of the fund’s five previous generations,” says Philippe Poletti, head of the GPs mid-cap buyout team. “People hardly ever refer to 'Axa Private Equity' nowadays, which for us is proof that we’ve done well.”

We could have raised a lot more money, but purposely limited ourselves as we wanted to stay within the mid-cap segment and make sure there were enough investment opportunities to fully deploy the fund" – Philippe Poletti, Ardian

Having started off in France, the firm expanded into Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and now has a total of $55bn in assets under management.

Commitments from institutional investors have also been on the rise, with insurance companies representing 17% of the latest fund’s LP base, against 8% for Fund V. Banks, meanwhile, saw their contributions rise from 1% in the previous fund to 6% in Fund VI.

“We could have raised a lot more money,” says Poletti, “but purposely limited ourselves as we wanted to stay within the mid-cap segment and make sure there were enough investment opportunities to fully deploy the fund.”

Proof in the pudding
For Poletti, the successful fundraise of Fund VI owes a lot to the groundwork laid with previous fund generations. With Fund III and Fund IV, portfolio companies grew their turnover by an estimated 50-60% over the holding period, while their EBITDA increased by 62-69%. The companies’ international expansion often played a significant part in their development, with an average 25% of their revenues made abroad.

“Another very attractive element for our investors,” Poletti adds, “is our capacity to close a significant amount of proprietary, as well as primary, transactions.” According to him, more than half of the investments made with Fund V were primary deals.

As a result, around two thirds of LBO Fund V investors stayed on, committing 112% of the amount they contributed to the previous fund. Of the investors, 42% hail from Europe, 20% from Asia, 19% from North America, 14% from the Middle East, and 5% from South America. Ardian primarily depended on its internal fundraising team to source commitments, with a placement agent only employed in countries where it was mandatory, namely Chile and South Korea. Linklaters provided the GP with fund structuring advisory services.

Two investments have already been made via Fund VI, with the acquisition of Hypred in May, and that of Dedalus in July – both primary and proprietary transactions. A third one, in Germany, should be closed by the end of the year, according to Poletti.

Planning ahead
As with the fund’s previous generations, six core sectors will be targeted: aeronautics and defence, food and ingredients, healthcare, consumer goods, chemicals, and insurance.

The GP might make a few more investments from its new vehicle than it made from the previous fund, targeting 20 portfolio companies rather than 15, with enterprise values falling within the €175m-1.5bn range. In terms of equity tickets, the fund’s sweet spot typically varies between €100-300m.

Similarly to Fund V, Fund VI has a lifespan of eight years with a two-year extension, and a typical holding period of four to five years.

Geographically speaking, Fund VI will more or less follow the same map as Fund V, which was invested 50% in France, 19% in Germany, 13% in Italy, 9% in Belgium, 5% in the UK and 4% in Austria. While around 85% of Fund VI will therefore be re-invested in these “core” markets, the GP will devote the other 15% to additional opportunities in Spain, the UK and potentially other locations, Poletti confirms.

A very attractive element for our investors is our capacity to close a significant amount of proprietary, as well as primary, transactions" – Philippe Poletti, Ardian

In keeping with the increased size of this latest fund, Ardian has grown its mid-cap team from 25 to 36 members over the last three years, hired an extra four managing directors to reach a total of 14, and opened extra offices in Spain and the UK.

And the group’s progress does not stop there. The recent closing on €1bn of Expansion Fund IV – focused on lower mid-cap investment opportunities with enterprise values falling within the €50-150m range – means Ardian currently has some €5.5bn to invest in the European mid-market segment.

Keen to enhance its coverage of the EU market, the LBO mid-cap team at Ardian is currently considering a way to achieve better coverage in the Netherlands, and later the Nordic region, according to Poletti. A €5bn+ mid-cap fund could then be on the cards in the near future, Poletti says.

  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Google plus  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • Buyout
  • France
  • Fundraising
  • France
  • Top story
  • Ardian (formerly Axa PE)
  • Fund in focus

More on Buyout

Zurich in Switzerland
​​​​​Capvis grapples with EUR 1bn fundraise amid team exodus

Five partners for the Swiss-based GP leave firm in last two years; sponsor started sixth buyout fundraise in early 2023

  • People
  • 11 August 2023
UK fund closes and launches
WestBridge raises GBP 130m in first close for third fund with debut deal in sight

UK-based PE firm has set GBP 200m hard-cap and target for the vehicle

  • Funds
  • 08 August 2023
Insurance funds
Bain Capital intensifies strategy specialisation efforts with USD 1.15bn insurance fund

New fund will deploy tickets of up to USD 200m but is 'not afraid to start small', Matt Popoli said

  • Financials
  • 02 August 2023
Paris's Arc de Triomphe
Eurazeo co-CEOs seek to reassure market following key departures

Listed GP is also considering options for its stake in Spanish PE platform MCH, it said in its latest results

  • GPs
  • 28 July 2023

Latest News

Fund closes in US dollars
  • Funds
Stonehage Fleming raises USD 130m for largest fund to date, eyes 2024 programme

Multi-family office has seen strong appetite, with investor base growing since 2016 to more than 90 family offices, Meiping Yap told Unquote

  • 05 September 2023
Clinical trials and biotechnology
  • Buyouts
Permira to take Ergomed private for GBP 703m

Sponsor deploys Permira VIII to ride new wave of take-privates; Blackstone commits GBP 200m in financing for UK-based CRO

  • 04 September 2023
Public sector software
  • Exits
Partners Group to release IMs for Civica sale in mid-September

Sponsor acquired the public software group in July 2017 via the same-year vintage Partners Group Global Value 2017

  • 04 September 2023
EMEA Public to Private M&A
  • Investments
Change of mind: Sponsors take to de-listing their own assets

EQT and Cinven seen as bellweather for funds to reassess options for listed assets trading underwater

  • 04 September 2023
Back to Top
  • About Unquote
  • Advertise
  • Contacts
  • About Acuris
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Group Disclaimer
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

© Merger Market

© Mergermarket Limited, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE - Company registration number 03879547

Digital publisher of the year 2010 & 2013

Digital publisher of the year 2010 & 2013