About the deal

i-Run, the e-commerce pioneer for running and trail in France, has become the French leader in omnichannel distribution for running and trail items, after a decade of very strong growth (10-fold increase in turnover in 10 years). The management’s strategy has proven to be successuful:

• Continuous innovation and proprietary technology,
• Quality of service and flawless customer experience,
• Long-term partnerships and brand awareness

The development of a network of stores has also enabled i-Run to strengthen its proximity with customers.

With this majority LBO transaction, Geneo, Eximium, MACSF, and BPI France who is reinvesting, will support the reorganization of the group’s shareholding structure: investment of the management alongside the founder and exit of iXO Private Equity. The new pool of shareholders will support the team in coming sustainable growth projects: strengthening international and retail activities, acquiring new businesses and launching new products.

What we did

Capitalmind Investec has advised the shareholders and the management of i-Run conceiving a tailored LBO transaction allowing:

• the exit of financial shareholders leveraging i-Run’s recent growth, leadership and prospects,
• i-Run’s managers to invest and/or re-invest under the best conditions, in order to benefit from future value creation.

Our team’s commitment was unwavering throughout the entire transaction process: advising exit options and timing before launching the process, defining deal tactics, identifying potential investors most likely to value i-Run’s positioning and to accompany its development alongside the management team, and organizing a competitive bidding process.