AnaCap promotes two to Partner

AnaCap Financial Partners LLP (“AnaCap”), the specialist European financial services private equity firm, has promoted Michael Edwards and Amber Hilkene, to Partner in their roles as Chief Operating Officer and Head of Investor Relations and Communications, respectively. Amber joined AnaCap in 2006 as the fifth member shortly before the final closing of its €300m maiden fund and drives the firm’s investor relations, fundraising and public relations activities. She has led the development of relationships with global institutional investors, building AnaCap’s assets under management to €2.9 billion including blind pools and co-invest. Amber commented: “I am delighted to have received the promotion to Partner at AnaCap. It has been a remarkable journey to see and be a part of the evolution of the firm and its growing track record as an expert in financial services. I look forward to seeing what the next decade brings.” Mike joined AnaCap in 2007 and is a qualified accountant with over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector including retail banking, credit insurance, asset management, venture capital and private equity. At AnaCap he is responsible for overseeing and managing the entire operations and investment process. Mike commented: “Being promoted to Partner is the culmination of nine years of effort and hard work to ensure that AnaCap delivers on its commitments to its investors, staff and counterparties while meeting the ever-changing demands of the industry with solutions and success. I am obviously delighted by this promotion and its recognition of my contribution to helping build AnaCap.” Joe Giannamore, Co-Managing Partner at AnaCap, commented: “As we continue to grow as a firm, it’s fantastic to bring into the partnership two individuals who have been so dedicated to the firm for so long. Mike and Amber have been with AnaCap almost since inception and have consistently exceeded expectations, playing an instrumental role in our development and growth into a leading specialist financial services investor. Expanding the partnership gives us a broader base to develop the business in a robust manner. We all look forward to working closely with them in the next chapter of our development.”

ACTIVA CAPITAL INVESTS IN ALLIANCE ETIQUETTES, A LEADING LABELS PRODUCER FOR THE PREMIUM WINE, FOOD AND COSMETICS INDUSTRIES

 Activa Capital is pleased to announce an investment in Alliance Etiquettes, the first investment in its new fund Activa Capital Fund III. Alliance Etiquettes is a buy-andbuild platform consisting of three initial investments including Imprimerie Laulan. Created in 1964 near Bordeaux, Imprimerie Laulan is a 3rd generation family business producing premium labels for the wine and premium food industries. Managed by Olivier Laulan, the company employs 50 professionals. By relying on two production facilities based in the SouthWest of France, Imprimerie Laulan covers a large variety of printing solutions for its long-standing customer base. Alliance Etiquettes has purchased Groupe Enes and is in advanced discussions on a 3rd build-up which will close in the coming weeks. The combined Alliance Etiquettes group is expected to have 2016 sales of €18m. Further build-ups should be announced in 2016, fulfilling the companies’ ambitions to become the leading independent wine and premium food labels solution producer in France and Southern Europe. The new group, Alliance Etiquettes, is being led by CEO Olivier Laulan, who has a strong trackrecord of growth and profitability within the sector. The premium labels in food and wine sector is being driven by an increasing demand for more sophisticated labels to ensure both highly visible marketing message and greater traceability. Olivier Laulan, CEO of Alliance Etiquettes comments: “Activa Capital shared my vision of future consolidation in the fragmented label solutions market. We plan to integrate several build-up acquisitions over the coming years while providing the highest levels of service, marketing and technology to our clients.” For Christophe Parier, Partner of Activa Capital, “We are delighted to be partnering with and accompanying Alliance Etiquettes’ growth. Build-up acquisitions are at the heart of Activa Capital’s strategy; we are happy to have actively supported the management team with these first two buildups.”

Participants

Activa Capital: Christophe Parier, Alexandre Masson, Grégory Fradelizi, David Quatrepoint

Alliance Etiquettes: Olivier Laulan Buyer strategic due diligence: Indefi (Julien Berger)

Buyer financial due diligence: 8 Advisory (Justin Welstead, Boris Bignon)

Buyer legal due diligence: TAJ (Armand Mounier)

Buyer legal advice: Mayer Brown (Olivier Aubouin, Emmanuel Mimin, Jehanne Talha, Patrick Teboul, Maud Bischoff)

Buyer Corporate Finance advice: Natixis Partners (Jean-Baptiste Marchand)

Management legal advice: Fidal (Sébastien Peronne)

Bank: Société Générale (Patrick Evin, Julien Krebs)

About Activa Capital Activa Capital is a leading French mid-market private equity firm. Activa Capital manages close to €600m of private equity funds on behalf of a wide range of institutional investors. Activa Capital partners with ambitious mid-sized French companies, valued at €20m to €200m, seeking to accelerate their growth and their international footprint. www.activacapital.com

Bregal Freshstream announces acquisition of Belgian restaurant chain Lunch Garden

First deal since launching its €600m fund in September Bregal Freshstream today announces that it has agreed to acquire Lunch Garden, the leading Belgian selfservice restaurant chain, from a consortium of investors led by H2 Equity Partners. The investment is Bregal Freshstream’s first since launching its maiden €600m fund in September 2015 and will see it take a majority stake in Lunch Garden. Established in 1966 and with over 70 branches across Belgium, Lunch Garden is an iconic restaurant brand that offers customers high quality, traditional Belgian cuisine, complemented by popular international dishes, with an average meal price of €11. Located in prime, high-footfall areas, all sites are profitable with Lunch Garden commanding a growing market share within the Belgian restaurant market. With the appointment of a new management team in 2010 and the implementation of a refreshed restaurant concept, Lunch Garden has delivered a robust period of growth in recent years following over €50m of investment from the prior owners into new store openings and a renewal of the existing restaurant base. As a result of Bregal Freshstream’s investment in the business, Lunch Garden will now look to accelerate its growth plans both organically and by increasing its restaurant roll out programme. Bregal Freshstream’s maiden fund of €600m is focused on mid-market investments in growth businesses across a wide variety of sectors, with a particular geographic focus on the UK and Benelux markets. The investment was led by Rayhan Davis and Irmo Holslag at Bregal Freshstream. Commenting on its first acquisition, Managing Partner Patrick Smulders said: “This is the first step in Bregal Freshstream’s investment journey and we are tremendously excited about our chosen partner. Lunch Garden fits perfectly into the investment criteria we identified, with a successful operational model, upside potential and significant growth opportunities. Lunch Garden has been very well invested by its prior owners and this backdrop, plus the talented, entrepreneurial management team that is already in place, makes the company an ideal first investment for our fund.” Annick van Overstraeten, Lunch Garden General Manager, commented: “We have worked hard in the past five years to grow Lunch Garden’s presence in the market and look forward to this new stage in the company’s development. The business is a much loved and well established brand within the Belgian marketplace and I see great potential for us to build on the strong momentum we have generated to date. Bregal Freshstream is the ideal partner to help us realise our growth ambitions and we are very much looking forward to working with them.”