top of page

News and publications

Valther advised leboncoin and its parent company, Adevinta — a leading international group in digital marketplaces — on the sale of PlanetVO² and Cardiff, two widely recognized tools for the management of second-hand vehicles, to Bee2Link (Cosmobilis Group).   The expertise, teams and solutions of PlanetVO² and Cardiff will enhance Bee2Link’s existing ecosystem by providing complementary, established market positions built on a solid customer base. This transaction also allows Adevinta / leboncoin’s to refocus on its historical core business.   The Valther team consisted of Velin VALEV , Adina MIHAESCU , Julie LEYMARIE  and Ibrahim CAMARA  on corporate/M&A matters, and Vincent VARET  on intellectual property and digital matters.   Other advisors: Cambon Partners, financial advisor to the sellers (Nicolas Pirot); Yards, tax advisor (Dorothée Traverse) and corporate advisor to the sellers (Éric du Peloux); Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, corporate/M&A advisor to the buyer (Pierre-Alexandre Kahn).

Valther advised leboncoin (Adevinta Group) on the sale of its software activities to Bee2Link

Valther a accompagné leboncoin et sa société mère, Adevinta, acteur international de premier plan des marketplaces digitales, dans le cadre de la cession à Bee2Link (Groupe Cosmobilis) de PlanetVO² et Cardiff, outils reconnus dans la gestion des véhicules d’occasion.

Read More
Valther assists ABEO in the acquisition of ELI Play, one of the European leaders in playgrounds and trampolines, to accelerate its momentum in Sportainment.   ABEO, a world leader in sports and leisure equipment, acquired 70% of the capital of the Dutch company ELI Play, a leading player in Europe in the design, manufacture and installation of indoor leisure equipment such as playgrounds, trampolines and Ninja courses.   Founded more than 25 years ago and based in Boxtel (Netherlands), ELI Play has established itself as a key partner in Europe, with profitable sales of €22m in 2024 and more than 2,500 projects completed across Europe. The company employs around 60 people and has sales subsidiaries in its main markets, France and Germany.   This operation is a major step in ABEO's development strategy. It consolidates ABEO's position in the fast-growing Family Entertainment Centers (FEC) segment, and opens up new prospects for international growth.   Highly leveraged commercial, industrial and technological synergies will be rapidly put in place. In particular, the acquisition will provide for: -                  A richer offering thanks to the complementary nature of ABEO's ranges (BigAirBag, Clip'n'Climb and Fun Spot) with those of ELI Play; -                  Increased commercial strength in the strategic Sportainment segment, thanks to strengthened engineering and greater capacity to address key accounts; -                  Optimised purchasing and use of existing production capacity without heavy investment, with greater sharing of design, manufacturing and installation expertise; -                  Large-scale deployment of the interactive innovations developed by ELI Play via ABEO's international network.   Olivier Estèves, Chairman and CEO of ABEO, said : " The acquisition of ELI Play is fully in line with our strategy of growth and consolidation in the future segment of Sportainment. It also strengthens our position in Europe, where our presence in this segment is growing. The complementary nature of our offerings, the expected synergies, and Fun Spot's new strategy, which is well under way, provide us with a unique dynamic to accelerate our development in a fast-growing market. "   Terms and conditions of the transaction   The acquisition is financed entirely in cash, using ABEO's existing cash and credit facilities.   The memorandum of understanding includes a cross put and call option agreement for the remaining 30% of the share capital, based on the performance of the first financial year following the integration.   ELI Play will be consolidated from   June 2025.     Stakeholders :   Target: EL-Industries Holding B.V. Sellers: Jos   van der Heijden Beheer B.V. and Verstappen Control B.V. Purchaser: ABEO (Olivier Estèves, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Managing Director & Jean Ferrier, Deputy Managing Director) Lawyers for the sellers: Vigor Advocaten (Stijn Hoppenbrouwers) Purchasers' lawyer: Valther (Velin Valev & Christian Chudzik)   Merchant bank for the sellers : De   Beemd Corporate Finance (Laurent Degroote)   Due Diligence : -                  Financial: BDO (Reza Joomun, Charlotte Bonny, Nicolas Quartier) -                  Legal, employment and tax: o   France:  Valther (Velin Valev, Julia Hazael, François Bohrer for employment law aspects) o   Netherlands: Stek (Elias Ram, Koen Groeneveld, Harry Stamps) o   Germany: Schiedermair  (Jörg Swoboda, Alexandra Ulmers)

Valther assists ABEO in the acquisition of ELI Play

Valther a accompagné ABEO dans l’acquisition d’ELI Play, un des leaders européens des aires de jeux et parcs de trampolines pour accélérer sa dynamique dans le Sportainment.

Read More
Valther assisted the ABEO group, one of the world leaders in sports and leisure equipment, in its acquisition of a 70% stake in Sodex, a French sports equipment manufacturer based in Vietnam.   A French company founded in 1991, Sodex set up in Vietnam in 2000 to develop industrial expertise in the manufacture of sports equipment - football goals, tennis nets, athletics hurdles and outdoor fitness equipment.   Sodex equipment is certified by the main international federations, including FIFA (football) and FIBA (3x3 basketball).   Sodex is based in Vietnam, with a manufacturing site employing almost 200 people. It capitalises on its recognised expertise to design and manufacture sports equipment that is both robust and innovative. The company exports its products to key markets such as South-East Asia and Oceania, and also has a logistics platform in Carpiquet, Normandy (France), dedicated to distribution in France and the rest of Europe, which accounts for 50% of its business. In 2024, Sodex generated profitable sales of €7.5m.   Sodex's presence in Vietnam is a lever for ABEO's industrial competitiveness, based on a strategic location at the heart of a fast-growing Asian market that benefits from numerous free trade agreements. This base will enable the Group to accelerate its international expansion, while strengthening its capacity to produce locally to meet the specific needs of its different markets.   With a strong industrial base, a strategic geographic footprint and a complementary product range, this merger is perfectly in line with the ABEO group's international development strategy, and opens up new growth prospects for Sodex's equipment combined with that of ABEO.   " This acquisition will enable us to accelerate our international development strategy in a promising market. Thanks to its industrial base in Vietnam and the complementary nature of its product ranges, Sodex will help to strengthen our competitiveness in Europe, broaden our product offering and better address Asian markets. We are delighted to welcome this expert and committed company to the Group, which will enable us to return to ABEO's historic strategy of combining organic and external growth ", comments Olivier Estèves, Chairman and CEO of ABEO.   Terms of the transaction:   The acquisition is financed entirely in cash, using ABEO's existing cash and credit facilities.   The memorandum of understanding includes a cross put and call agreement for the remaining 30% of the share capital, based on performance in the first post-integration financial year.   Sodex will be consolidated from 1 June 2025.     Stakeholders :   Target: Sodex International Sellers: Bouvot family Purchaser: ABEO (Olivier Estèves, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Managing Director & Jean Ferrier, Deputy Managing Director) Lawyer for the sellers: Acthemis (Ségolène Minard) Purchasers' lawyer: Valther (Velin Valev & Christian Chudzik)   Investment bank for the sellers : Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance  (Hubert Tuillier & Armand Saillour)   Due Diligence : -                  Financial: BM&A (Aymeric Royer, Umberto Cravero, Alexis Thura) -                  Legal, employment and tax: Lamy-Lexel (Benoit Oliveira, Valentine Fayette, Vincent Medail, Clothilde Herault, Pierre-Antoine Farhat, Emilie Hijos & Gaëlle Rosiaux)  re-Antoine Farhat, Emilie Hijos & Gaëlle Rosiaux)

Valther assisted the ABEO group, one of the world leaders in sports and leisure equipment, in its acquisition of a 70% stake in Sodex

Valther assisted the ABEO group, one of the world leaders in sports and leisure equipment, in its acquisition of a 70% stake in Sodex, a...

Read More
bottom of page