/News

In its ongoing partnership with Adie, Azulis Capital has awarded six prizes to the winning 2013 mini-enterprise founders in their joint annual competition, Créadie–Elan d’ Idées. Adie is a charity promoting business initiatives for the benefit of quasi-excluded individuals: for further information, please click ‘Adie’ on our Sponsorship page.

The Investadour group, founded by the Ponteins family and supported by Azulis Capital since 2006, has spun off its historic thermal spa division, to the Thermes des Arènes group. Led by Alain Danglade, Arenadour — as the resulting new player is called — is now the major operator in Dax, France’s premier thermal destination. The Investadour group is continuing to grow its spa resorts business, successfully launched a decade ago with the Calicéo centres. Now located in six cities in France, the group is scheduled to open new centres in the coming months.

The Européenne des Desserts group has restructured its capital through an LMBO with the management team under its president, Didier Boudy, and partnered by Equistone. Azulis Capital’s investment in 2009 spearheaded Martine Spécialités’ spin-off from its then-owner, Premier Foods UK Plc.
The management team’s determination led to its successfully completing four acquisitions to form a group posting sales of €140 million in 2013, doubling its turnover in five years. Today, Européenne des Desserts is the leading European player in the frozen pastry sector. It is also France’s No 1 maker of private-label pastry and tart bases for the retail market and the catering sector. With high performing facilities based at five sites, the group is renowned for its ability to innovate and meet demanding customer requirements. This transaction marks the first exit from MMF IV’s portfolio.

A key player in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, the Inicea group has been transformed by its take-over of the Korian group’s psychiatric division, comprising seven clinics with 690 in-patient beds and 49 per diem out-patient beds. As a result, Inicea has become the leading independent private psychiatry player in France. The group is continuing to grow with the launch of new specialist units in psycho- social rehabilitation and geriatric psychiatry.