About the deal

CEME is recognised for its strong technical capabilities, particularly for logistics warehouses and its solutions that meet all the electrical and HVAC needs of datacentres, managing complex projects that require best-in-class expertise. The group has 700 employees across a network of 22 agencies and branches in France. With revenue of €125m, 1,600 projects completed in 2021 and more than 800 clients, CEME is a leading national and independent energy player.

With the backing of Apax Partners, Société Générale Capital Partenaires and BNP Paribas Développement, CEME aims to continue its organic growth and step up its acquisitions strategy to support its regional development and complementary expertise (maintenance, automation, data wiring, energy efficiency and renewable energies).

The transaction will reorganise the shareholding structure, ratifying the exit of majority shareholder Azulis Capital and the Desbruères family, the group’s founder, while ensuring the continuity of the established management team, led by Jean de Vauxclairs. Some 60 partner-managers are investing heavily in this acquisition.

What we did

Capitalmind Investec assisted CEME during the whole process: designing the transaction strategy, marketing material preparation, qualifying investors which are most likely to value CEME’s positioning and accompany its development alongside Jean de Vauxclairs, organization of a competitive process, final negotiation and management of the debt financing process.