Equistone to acquire Accès Industrie from Parquest Capital, along with its Management, Crédit Mutuel Equity and Irdi Soridec Gestion

Equistone Partners Europe (“Equistone”) has agreed to acquire Accès Industrie from Parquest Capital, the company’s majority shareholder, along with its management team, Crédit Mutuel Equity and Irdi Soridec Gestion.

With this agreement, Equistone will become the majority shareholder of Accès Industrie, alongside its management, with the aim of enabling the existing team, led by Eric Lacombe and Pascal Meynard, to accelerate its growth strategy. This agreement will also provide an opportunity to further open the company’s capital to its employees, following a first initial capital partnership with Parquest Capital. In 2017, Accès Industrie underwent a management buyout and delisting led by Parquest Capital, which enabled some sixty managers to become shareholders in the Group.

Based in Tonneins and Bordeaux, and with a national network of 35 agencies and a fleet of more than 7,700 machines, Accès Industrie is a leading independent player in the rental of aerial work platforms and telescopic forklift trucks. A pioneer in France with more than 20 years of experience and an approach based on excellent service, proximity, responsiveness and sector-leading technical expertise, Accès Industrie has an established position in short-term rental for the construction industry. With the support of Parquest Capital, the company has accelerated its development by investing both in its portfolio and its network, opening two new branches in Lille and South Paris, and in the expansion of its commercial offering. The Group has also penetrated the long-term rental sector for the industrial market through a successful external growth strategy. The combination of these initiatives has enabled the Group to increase its turnover from €53m in 2016 to €91m in 2019.

Pierre Decré (Parquest Capital) said: "We are proud to have accompanied the Group in a key and transformative phase of its history. The high-quality collaborative approach between our team and the management team has accelerated the development of Accès Industrie. We are convinced that this team possesses all the necessary means to guide the Group to new heights."

Eric Lacombe (President of Accès Industrie Group) said: "This is a very important step, which allows us to give ourselves additional time and resources to continue to deploy our growth strategy.”

Pascal Meynard (CEO of Accès Industrie Group) said: "The momentum started with Parquest is only the beginning. We and our employees are invested and united around a corporate culture that is itself at the service of performance and growth."

Grégoire Châtillon and Grégoire Schlumberger (Equistone) said: "We have been impressed by the development of Accès Group over the last few years. This solid growth has been made possible by the quality of its management and teams, a strong corporate culture and a differentiating positioning in a thriving market. We are committed to supporting this strong dynamic by seizing the Group's development opportunities for both organic and external growth.”