Eric Bompard in exclusive sale talks with Xavier Marie – report (translated)
25 OCT 2017
French businessman Xavier Marie is understood to be in exclusive talks to acquire a majority stake in Eric Bompard, the French privately-owned cashmere clothes specialist, French daily Le Figaro reported.
The unsourced report said that the deal could value Bompard at 10x EBITDA or around EUR 130m. Transaction R is advising Bompard on the matter the report added. Xavier Marie is the founder and former CEO of Maisons du Monde [EPA:MDM], a home furniture retailer.
The report cited Bompard Chief Executive Lorraine de Gournay as confirming that Rothschild has been mandated to find an investor that could help with the international development of the group in the next few years. She claimed that all options were being considered and no that binding agreement had been signed yet, adding that the Bompard family would remain a long term and active shareholder in the business.
According to the report, Bompard has attracted interest from investors and private equity groups in the past who could still be attracted by the business.
The report noted that Eric Bompard is 100% controlled by the Bompard family, while Chinese textile group Erdos owns a 20% stake in the French subsidiary of the group.
Eric Bompard operates 50 stores in Europe and reported sales of EUR 90m in 2016.