Paris, 17 September 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces its acquisition of a minority stake in IWD through a capital increase. This global technology company offers innovative 2D, 3D and virtual reality software through its various businesses and supports luxury brands in their retail and merchandising strategies as well as in their training programs.

Founded in Paris in 2000 by Gabriel Becker and Nicolas Martin, IWD controls the entire life of the product, from its creation to its enhancement at the point of sale. The firm enables brands to build, communicate and analyze their merchandising strategies. Having established itself as a leading player in the French market with a global reach, IWD stands out with a diversified portfolio of loyal customers made up by more than 300 brands. The company’s international expansion began in 2007, with the opening of its office in New York. It continued in 2017 with the opening of two more offices in Los Angeles and Singapore, allowing IWD to build closer relationships with its international clients. Today, the company has more than 50 employees worldwide.

Ardian is partnering with IWD to support the company’s organic growth and potential acquisitions. The initial focus will be on strengthening IWD’s offering and broadening its customer portfolio, particularly through expansion into new markets.

Nicolas Martin, co-founder of IWD, commented: “Thanks to its strong digital experience and excellent track record in France and internationally, Ardian Growth stood out as our preferred partner to support our development. We really look forward to collaborating with the Ardian team to continue our growth journey.”

Gabriel Becker, co-founder of IWD, added: “In order to accelerate our development and consolidate our leading market position, we have entered a new stage of growth, which will involve targeted acquisitions and expansion of our offer into more markets. For this new stage, Ardian is the natural partner thanks to its proven ability to provide expert support across international markets and expertise in areas relevant to our strategic challenges.”

Frédéric Quéru, Director at Ardian Growth, added: “The management of IWD has great expertise in digital and retail, which has allowed the company to become a leader in its market, as evidenced by its long-term relationships with major luxury brands such as Dior, Estée Lauder, Shiseido and L’Oréal. We look forward to working with IWD on its expansion strategy acquiring new customers and rolling out its offer to new markets.”

Founded in 2000 by Gabriel Becker and Nicolas Martin, IWD is one of the leading merchandising software publishers that collaborates with more than three hundred leading brands such as L’Oreal, LVMH, VF Corp, Chanel, Nespresso and Shiseido.
The company, based in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore, has forged strategic partnerships with mostly international players.

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$71bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world. Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 530 employees working from fourteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of around 700 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Ardian on Twitter @Ardian

IWD: Nicolas Martin, Gabriel Becker
Legal Advisor: Solferino (Bernard-Olivier Becker, Camille Chastagnier)

Ardian: Frédéric Quéru, Louise Gros
Legal, Fiscal and Social Advisor: Lamartine Avocats (Gary Lévy, Cindy Nlem, Raphaël Saulneron)
Financial Advisor: Next ! Financial Advisory (Hervé Krissi, Romain Bardou, Victor Reveret)