CMS advises Bechtle AG on planned acquisition of Inmac Wstore in France

Frankfurt – German IT group Bechtle intends to acquire French IT provider Inmac Wstore S.A.S, which has 400 employees and sales of EUR 420 million. The acquisition is currently awaiting approval from the French authorities. A hearing of the employee representatives at Inmac Wstore is also required. For Bechtle AG, this would be the biggest acquisition in its history.

An international CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Tobias Schneider advised Bechtle AG on all legal aspects, with particular attention being paid to capital markets law. Each of the two companies involved is listed on the stock exchange.

Neckarsulm-based Bechtle AG operates around 70 IT system integrator businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. With e-commerce companies in 14 countries, the group is one of Europe’s leading IT resellers. It is listed on the TecDAX technology index and has some 8,600 employees. The planned acquisition is part of the Vision 2020 strategy which aims to make Bechtle the number one in European e-commerce, in addition to achieving sales of EUR 5 billion and growing to 10,000 employees. According to Bechtle, the purchase of Inmac Wstore would put it among the top five French IT companies.

Inmac Wstore S.A.S. is headquartered in Roissy-en-France near Paris. Since 2009 it has been part of the US Systemax Group, which would withdraw completely from the IT market after the sale to Bechtle. The company sells IT products to companies and public-sector bodies in France under the brand names Inmac Wstore and Misco. The intention is that Inmac Wstore will continue to operate in its existing structure within Bechtle AG, complementing the latter’s current locations in France.

CMS Germany

Dr Tobias Schneider, Lead Partner, Corporate/M&A
Dr Martina Schmid, Partner, Capital Markets
Dr Harald Kahlenberg, Partner, Competition

CMS France

Alexandra Rohmert, Co-Lead Partner, M&A
François Hellio, Associé, Tax
Virginie Coursiere-Pluntz, Counsel, Competition

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