14 January 2022

Beaumont-Guez x Gillard-Mathon x Capton

Fund raising

Secteur Consumer Products & Retail

The Beaumont-Guez funeral services group has raised €9 million and announced the acquisition of Gillard-Mathon and Capton.

Client Beaumont-Guez

The result of the merger of two historic family businesses in Maine-et-Loire, the group has just inaugurated its head office in Tiercé. This central site also houses the group's main technical platform. Established in the Angers region, from Cholet to Noyant through 15 agencies, 11 funeral chambers, 3 technical centres and two crematoria, Beaumont-Guez now employs 85 people and will have assisted 1,500 families by 2021. The group opened its first agency under the "Maison Beaumont-Guez" banner in Château-Gontier in November.

Contrepartie Les Pompes Funèbres Capton

A family business that is almost a century old, Pompes Funèbres Capton was founded in 1926 and has been run by the Capton family for four generations. Franz Capton, great-grandson of the founder, entrusted the company to the Beaumont-Guez group, which he joined as purchasing manager. Organised around two shops and a funeral home between Noyant and Vernantes, Pompes Funèbres Capton, employing 8 people, assists around 150 families in their bereavement each year. Equipped with a technical centre, this new establishment opens the way to development in the north of the department. The group is keeping the company's name to perpetuate the memory of the founding family.

Contrepartie Les Pompes Funèbres Gillard-Mathon

Gillard-Mathon was founded more than 60 years ago and originally specialised in granite work. In 1984, the company moved to Cholet to focus on funeral services. This highly reputable company provided a new operational base in a geographical area where the group was not directly involved in funeral services. The company has a single site with a shop, a funeral room and a technical centre, and is located near the Cholet crematorium, which is already managed by the group. The manager, who is retiring from the company, entrusts the company of 7 people to the group. Pompes Funèbres Gillard-Mathon supports around 250 families each year. The Gillard-Mathon brand will also be retained.

Contrepartie Capital Croissance

Capital Croissance is an independent management company approved by the AMF and 100% controlled by its partners. Capital Croissance has around €500m under management, investing from €1m to €50m in equity and quasi-equity in growth SMEs and SMIs as part of buyouts and capital reorganisations (MBO, OBO, MBI, etc.) or development capital. It is present in three market segments: very small-cap with Edelweiss Business Club, small-cap with CAIRN Business Club and lower mid-cap with K2 Business Club. It is also a capital partner of the management company Bluester Capital, which invests in LBO funds throughout Europe. Financed by a community of nearly 350 private investors (entrepreneurs, families, company directors, etc.) as well as by Bpifrance and Ardian, Capital Croissance is a value-added partner for entrepreneurs to help them further their ambitions, in France and internationally, by providing not only equity capital but also their experience and networks.

Contrepartie Financière Arbevel

Financière Arbevel is an independent and entrepreneurial management company specialising in the French small and medium-sized enterprise segment. Its management philosophy is centred on financial and strategic analysis and a thorough knowledge of the companies in which it invests. Financière Arbevel attaches great importance to creating a relationship of trust and proximity with the management of the companies it supports. Today, Financière Arbevel has €2.2 billion under management and has become a leading French entrepreneurial management company.

In order to support their development, Julien Guez and Alexandre Beaumont have joined forces with the entrepreneurs’ club Capital Croissance and the private debt fund Financière Arbevel. This transaction will enable them to pursue their growth ambitions in the funeral services market while respecting the values that have shaped the reputation of the two family companies for several generations. The Beaumont-Guez group can now put forward its strength and independence to offer an alternative transmission solution to many family businesses in the sector. Part of the funds raised will be used to acquire Pompes Funèbres Gillard-Mathon and Pompes Funèbres Capton, two historic companies in Maine-et-Loire. With these acquisitions, the group will have 1,500 convoys and a turnover of 7.5 million euros by the end of 2021. The managers will retain a majority stake in the company after the transaction.

In November 2021, Julien Guez and Alexandre Beaumont signed the agreement to join forces by contributing their names to the Beaumont-Guez group. A preliminary step in an ambitious development plan, this first phase enabled the consolidation of the technical and human resources of the two family companies in the service of a common vision: to offer an irreproachable service to families through their values of independence. As an extension of this vision, Beaumont-Guez is becoming a strong alternative to national groups for managers who wish to entrust their family business to another.

To accompany this change of dimension, the founders entrusted PAX Corporate Finance with the task of finding the appropriate financial partners. At the end of a competitive process, Capital Croissance, via its Edelweiss Transition & Impact I vehicle, provided €5 million, mainly in capital. 4 million in acquisition debt subscribed by Financière Arbevel via its Arbevel Dette Privée PME fund. Committed to an SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) approach, Financière Arbevel is offering for the first time via this vehicle a financing solution with a variable rate of interest based on the achievement of CSR criteria. “We are considering the creation of ecological convoys based on a fleet of electric vehicles,” explains Julien Guez.

The entrepreneurial DNA of Capital Croissance convinced the two founders, who were very attentive to the investment and support philosophy of their new partner. “We are delighted to be able to count on Capital Croissance and Financière Arbevel in this operation. Beyond the financial considerations, we were attracted by their great involvement and their perfect understanding of our business, its particular challenges, and our management issues” explains Julien Guez.

The funds provided will be used, in part, to finalise the acquisition of two historical companies in Maine-et-Loire. The rest of the funds will be used for new growth projects planned for 2022. “The growth plan will be based on new acquisitions, which are already under consideration, but also on several openings in regions that are still too neglected,” explains Alexandre Beaumont.