CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre assisted the Primonial group - one of the market leaders in private equity management in France - and its directors in the acquisition of a majority stake in its capital by the Bridgepoint group. The Primonial management team will reinvest, alongside Bridgepoint, as a minority shareholder. Crédit Mutuel Arkéa will retain a significant stake in the group.
This transaction, which gave rise to the signature of an investment agreement at the end of December 2016, is expected to be finalised in the coming months.
CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre is the usual legal counsel to the Primonial group for tax, social, corporate and regulatory matters. The team involved in this transaction, alongside the Mayer Brown firm, consisted of Renaud Grob and Pierre Dedieu (partners), Jean-Hugues de la Berge and Inès Mzali for tax matters (tax-related VDD and manager support) and Thierry Romand (partner) and Xavier Cambier for labour law matters.
Bridgepoint was also advised by DLA Piper and EY on legal and tax matters respectively.