Paris, October 8, 2019 – Ardian, a world leading private investment house, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in Staci, a European leader in specialty logistics, from Cobepa. The management team led by Thomas Mortier, as well as Société Générale’s investment teams, are reinvesting alongside Ardian.

Founded in 1989, Staci is an independent company that has grown to become one of the European leaders in innovative B2B and B2B2C logistics solutions for companies wishing to outsource all or part of their network or customer procurement operations. The company has a unique know-how in management of complex and scalable logistics flows, such as in dealing with a multitude of suppliers and delivery points, low unit volumes, non-standard formats, barcoded and non-barcoded products. In particular, the company has developed a strong expertise in the logistics of advertising and promotional media.

Staci has a leading position in its market niche, based on a model of pooling its warehouses and resources and its portfolio of services, which are all built around a proprietary IT system. Staci is present throughout Europe with a wide spectrum of clients ranging from multinational groups to local companies across several sectors, including food, health and cosmetics, telecoms and financial services. Staci has about 1,900 employees and generated more than 250 million euros in turnover in 2018.

Thomas Mortier, CEO of Staci, said: “Staci employees are delighted to open this new page in the company’s history with Ardian. The management team has reinvested very significantly in the business and we share the same values and vision with the Ardian team with regards to Staci’s development strategy in France and abroad. I would like to thank our employees, partners and shareholders for their commitment, support and professionalism, which every day contribute to the quality of the services we provide to our customers.“

Lise Fauconnier, Managing Director, and Alexandre Vannelle, Director at Ardian Buyout, said: “We are proud to invest in Staci to accelerate the next phase of its development and to support Thomas Mortier and his team. The high quality of the relationships established, and their strong growth reflect the company’s excellence. Alongside the management team, we will continue to develop Staci and consolidate its presence in key geographical areas through strategic acquisitions, in a market that is still very fragmented.“

Jean-Marie Laurent Josi, CEO, and Charles-Henri Chaliac, Member of the Executive Committee of Cobepa, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Thomas Mortier and his team in the execution of a truly transformative strategic plan for the Staci Group, which has been able to both strengthen its position in its local market, while fulfilling its international ambitions and simultaneously strengthening links with its main customers. The Group’s unique know-how, coupled with its strong potential for organic and acquisitive growth, enables it to move smoothly into its new development phase with the support of Ardian.”

Staci is the fifth investment of Ardian’s Buyout team in 2019. With 49 employees in Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and London, the team invests in high-quality mid- and large-cap companies across Western Europe, applying transformation strategies that enable them to become world leaders in their niche markets.

Since 1989, STACI has specialized in fulfilment and offers innovative B2B and B2C solutions to a wide range of industries: pharmaceutical & healthcare, automotive, telecom, retail, hotels & restaurants, tourism, food & beverage, bank & insurance.

With a unique expertise in multi-clients shared warehouses across Europe, STACI implements custom-made and cost effective logistic solutions for bar-coded products – cosmetics, broadband boxes, spare parts, high tech products… and non-bar-coded items – POS and merchandising material, marketing and communication print, goodies.

Thanks to the know-how, the processes and the experience that the company has developed around fulfilment, pick & pack, shared resources, transport optimization, IT systems and stock financing, STACI is able to offer unique and fully integrated supply chain management solutions.

Staci operates 25 warehouses in Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK with 1,300 employees and has achieved 154M€ sales in 2016. STACI is a CSR-driven business with sustainable growth as its core strategy for many years.

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$96bn 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 640 employees working from fifteen 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 and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 970 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

Cobepa is an independent, privately-held investment company backed by European family shareholders and managing a diversified investment portfolio valued at around €2,6 bn. Cobepa invests in established companies with a solid business model, sustainable market position and strong management team. Other important criteria relate to the capacity to generate cash flow, international presence and development potential.

Ardian : Lise Fauconnier, Alexandre Vannelle, Rafik Alili, Maxime Debost, Anaïs Robin
M&A advisor: Raphaël Advisory (Florent Haïk)
Legal advisor: Weil, Gotshal & Manges ((David Aknin, Guillaume Bonnard, Côme Wirz (corporate), Edouard de Lamy, Alexandre Groult (tax))
Commercial and strategic advisor: Bain & Company (Jérôme Brunet, Doris Galan, Guillaume Levrey)
Financial advisor: Eight Advisory (Eric Demuyt, Pierre-David Forterre)
Financing legal advisor: Latham & Watkins (Lionel Dechmann)

Cobepa: Charles-Henri Chaliac, Lars Lapp, Nicolas Beudin
Legal advisor: Latham & Watkins (Gaëtan Gianasso, Michael Colle)
Financial advisor: Alvarez & Marsal (Donatien Chenu, Benoît Bestion, Alexandre de Vazelhes)

Management advisors
Legal advisors: Natixis Wealth Management (Frédéric Balochard, Florian Pascaud), Scotto Partners (Franck Vacher)