PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
NextStage, an investment platform listed on the Euronext Paris regulated exchange (ISIN: FR0012789386, Symbol: NEXTS) and specialized in long-term investments in mid-sized companies (MSC) is pleased to announce, with shipyard Fountaine Pajot (ISIN: FR0010485268, Symbol: ALFPC), that it entered into exclusive negotiations with Dream Yacht Charter, with the objective of acquiring a controlling equity stake which would represent a first step in their industrial and long-term support of the group. This will allow Dream Yacht Charter to reinforce its position as a leading player in the leisure boat charter market and continue its growth.
Founded in 2001 by Loïc Bonnet with an initial charter base of only six boats in the Seychelles islands, Dream Yacht Charter is now present in the world’s main sailing areas, with a fleet counting over 850 boats located in the 47 charter bases managed by the group around the world.
With the support of Loïc Bonnet, joined in 2012 by Romuald Caillaud, Dream Yacht Charter was able to self-finance its development, thanks to both organic growth (opening of new locations and development of innovative offers) and targeted acquisitions. This ambitious strategy, combined with well thought-out structuring, has allowed the group to experience continuous annual growth between +15% and +20% over the last decade, and 2016 total revenues close to €90 million.
Today, boat rental schemes and innovative leisure boat chartering offers are addressing a growing demand in the tourism market and the prevailing trend toward the ‘on demand’ economy. The rental market for leisure boats, which proved to be much more resilient in periods of economic downturn, is in the midst of a profound change (development of new collaborative rental models, boat clubs etc.). The Dream Yacht Charter group is now seeking to capitalise on the global footprint and leading position of its platform to play an active role in the market’s transformation and preempt the tremendous growth opportunities to come.
‘The current challenge facing the market is how to make leisure yachting accessible to all and ensure sailors an exceptional sailing experience that perfectly meets their expectations’ explained Loïc Bonnet. ‘Thanks to its expertise and world-renowned brand, Dream Yacht Charter is ideally positioned to offer a broad catalogue of offers (destinations, boats, on-board facilities, booking solutions, packaged cruises, management solutions for privately-owned boats, and more) serving experienced sailors and new comers alike’.
Loïc Bonnet and Romuald Caillaud have selected NextStage and Fountaine Pajot to accompany them in the reinforcement of the group’s fundamentals and the development of innovative offers ideally suited to the current market.
‘Convinced by Dream Yacht Charter’s strategic positioning within its market and the ability of Loïc Bonnet to have successfully built a team and turned Dream Yacht Charter into the 2nd leisure boat charter company worldwide, we have chosen to come aboard with Loïc Bonnet, whom we first met in 2011, and Romuald Caillaud, in the long term and enable the group to continue its expansion,’ announced Grégoire Sentilhes, CEO of NextStage AM and Managing Director of NextStage. ‘Dream Yacht Charter is a key player in the ‘on-demand’ economy, which positions client experience at the very heart of designing service offerings. The group’s vision is perfectly in line with NextStage investment strategy’, added Julien Potier, Investment Director at NextStage AM.
"This partnership with Dream Yacht Charter and NextStage is totally in line with Fountaine Pajot's growth strategy. It reinforces the position of our company in the world of boat chartering, where Dream Yacht Charter has a leading positioning, especially on the segment of the catamaran. This alliance will benefit from the remarkable dynamics of each of our two companies and the development of all possible complementarities” said Nicolas Gardies, Managing Director of Fountaine Pajot.
This operation, in which NextStage would invest more than €14 million, is expected to be closed by October 2017.
DEAL TEAM
Entrepreneurs: Loïc Bonnet (CEO and Founder), Romuald Caillaud (Deputy CEO in charge of Finance)
NextStageAM: Grégoire Sentilhes (Chairman), Julien Potier (Investment Director), Marie-Léa Soury (Analyst)
Fountaine Pajot: Claire Fountaine, Nicolas Gardies, Romain Motteau
Investor Counsel: Latournerie Wolfrom (Christian Wolfrom, Anne-Cécile Déville, Justine Conrard)
Dream Yacht Charter Counsel: Chammas & Marcheteau (Denis Marcheteau)
Financial and accounting, legal, tax and social Due Diligence: Ernst & Young (Jean-François Nadaud, Guilhem de Montmarin)
About Dream Yacht Charter
Loïc Bonnet created Dream Yacht Charter in the Seychelles islands in 2001 with six boats. Thanks to its dynamic leadership, the company developed, then extended through Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean, Australia, the Pacific and more recently in North America and in the Bahamas. Dream Yacht Charter has more than 850 boats in 47 destinations today all around the world and is world leader trademark in yacht charter industry. Dream Yacht Charter is also the world leader of ‘By the Cabin’ cruises with destinations over the world on sailing catamarans.
The Group has also developed some innovating management and financing programs for monohulls and catamarans owners.
About Fountaine Pajot
Founded in 1976 by Jean-François Fountaine and Yves Pajot, the iconic brand FOUNTAINE PAJOT has been producing cruising catamarans since 1983. Thanks to its unique savoir-faire in the area of designing and building comfortable catamarans, FOUNTAINE PAJOT has released 40 different models and delivered close to 3,000 catamarans to destinations all over the world. FOUNTAINE PAJOT offers a complete and up-to-date range of catamarans, both sailing catamarans (Lucia 40, Helia 44, Saona 47, Saba 50, Ipanema 58 and Victoria 67) and motor yacht catamarans (MY 37, MY 44 and Queensland MY 55). For fiscal year 2015/2016 (as at 31 August 2016), FOUNTAINE PAJOT had revenues of €70.6M.
Alternext Paris, ISIN: FR0010485268 — Symbol: ALFPC – Eligible PEA/PME
About NextStage
NextStage is an investment platform created in March 2015 and listed on the Euronext Paris market (Compartment C) since December 2016. At March 31, 2017, it had an Adjusted Net Asset Value of €156.8 million. NextStage specializes in Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSEs), which allows access to an unlisted and often inaccessible class of asset that drives growth and performance. The investments it makes are equity investments with little or no leverage over an unlimited time frame to provide funding for the growth of MSEs that work alongside visionary entrepreneurs. NextStage is backed by the know-how and stablity of the asset management firm NextStage AM, which was founded in 2002. NextStage has already closed eight investment transactions since its inception. It is governed by the tax laws for SCR1. Its capital is held by prominent shareholders such as Artemis, Téthys, AXA, Ardian and Amundi. NextStage has built a novel and ambitious approach whose aim is to accelerate the growth of top-flight MSEs around four long-term trends of the 3rd industrial revolution: the emotion-driven economy and the quality of the customer experience, the on-demand and sharing economy, the industrial internet and the positive economy (or green growth).
1 SCR: Société de Capital Risque (Venture Capital Company)
More information available at info-investor@nextstage.com