P+P advises Equistone Partners Europe on the acquisition of majority shares in D3T Distribution
Equistone Partners Europe ("Equistone") has acquired a majority stake in D3T Distribution, the holding company for the brands Motoblouz and Access-Moto. The founder and current CEO of the company, Thomas Thumerelle, retains a stake in the company.
The company, headquartered in Carvin near Lille, is a leading online dealer of motorcycle parts and apparel in France.
Since Thomas Thumerelle and David Thiry established Motoblouz in 2004, the company has demonstrated strong growth and quickly became the leading online dealer for motorcycle parts and apparel in France. In 2009, Inspirational Stores became an equity capital investor in the company and in 2010 one of Motoblouz's largest competitors, Access-Moto, was acquired.
In the 2015/2016 business year, Motoblouz had a turnover of approximately EUR 38 m and thereby exceeded the previous year's turnover by almost 30 percent. Now, the company has approximately 50 percent market share in its sector.
Since 2015, Motoblouz is expanding internationally and is now also active in Spain, Italy, Great Britain and Germany.
With the acquisitions of Motoblouz and Sportbikeshop (October 2015), Equistone has developed its stake in POLO Motorrad und Sportswear (February 2015) into a leading dealer of motorcycle apparel and parts in the three most important European markets. The companies owned by the European multichannel provider still operate as independent entities, but they will take more advantage of synergetic effects and can together strengthen their position in the international markets.
P+P Pöllath + Partners advised Equistone on the legal aspects of the transaction and the management participation program with the following Munich-based team:
- Dr. Ralf Bergjan (partner, lead, M&A/PE)
- Dr. Benedikt Hohaus (partner, MPP)
- Dr. Nico Fischer (counsel, tax)
- Julian Winkler (senior associate, MPP)
- Andrea Beilborn (associate, M&A/PE)
P+P Pöllath + Partners regularly advises Equistone on transactions, recently on the acquisition of the United Initiators group, the sale of Sunrise Medical group, the IN tIME group and the CU CHEMIE UETIKON group.
