- Mergers & acquisitions
Founded in 1988 and based in BOOS (Normandy), SURPRISEZVOUS is a company specialising in the creation and distribution of party and decoration items, and more specifically around the concept of birthday parties.
Distributed exclusively via a dense network of more than 800 professional customers (BtoB), which includes BtoC distribution chains such as bazaar and party supply stores in France and in French-speaking countries (Benelux and Africa), the products created by SURPRISEZVOUS allow the consumer to celebrate any event related to a birthday party.
The company currently employs around 40 people and achieved a turnover of more than €8 million in the fiscal year 2021. The current fiscal year should confirm the strong recovery of the post-covid activity with an increase in activity of over 40%.
After 17 years of almost uninterrupted growth, except during the Covid year, the majority shareholders of the company, Eric Valeux and Jean-Christophe Amy, wanted to give a new start to SURPRISEZVOUS by handing over to a group of 5 managers representing the essential functions of the company led by Laurent Moule.
ATOUT CAPITAL advised the majority shareholders in the context of an MBO aimed at giving (i) a new lease of life to the company, (ii) additional financial resources for potential external growth operations, (iii) and to coordinate the transmission to key managers.
In that instance, the family office Dynacom92 (majority) and Picardie Investissement joined the buyers as well as the sellers who reinvest as minority shareholders, confident in the project’s perspectives.
An additional senior debt was set up by the BECM, along with the Crédit Mutuel and the Crédit Agricole.