Communiqué M&A | 29/01/24 | 1 min. | Julien Aucomte Maxime Legourd Sophie Faulcon
August Debouzy has advised Weinberg Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by Weinberg Capital Partners’ impact fund, WCP Impact Dev #1, of a minority stake in Opal Demetz, a company specialising in the design and distribution of prescription eyewear frames.
This marks the sixth investment by the WCP Impact Dev #1 fund. With €1.3 billion in assets under management, Weinberg Capital Partners is a major player in the mid-market equity segment in France.
Founded in 1995 by François Fort (Chairman and CEO), Opal Demetz (45 million euros in revenue) is the European leader in eyewear frames for children and teenagers, the French leader in low-price and affordable frames and, since 2015, an expert in the sports segment with the acquisition of Demetz, thanks to its glasses and goggles designed for athletes.
The Lyon-based company has expanded its brand portfolio to enhance its growth strategy in the adult and sports eyewear frame markets. At the beginning of the year, Opal Demetz announced its merger with Roussilhe, a French manufacturer and distributor of eyewear frames based in Oyonnax (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), to become a key player in the French eyewear market.
This investment by Weinberg Capital Partners reflects Opal Demetz's ambition to accelerate its growth and increasingly integrate CSR at the heart of its strategy.
The August Debouzy team has assisted Weinberg Capital Partners with all corporate aspects and included the following lawyers: Julien Aucomte (partner), Maxime Legourd (senior associate) and Sophie Faulcon (associate).
Lamy Lexel has advised Opal Demetz on the corporate (Julie Thomas, Pauline Philippon, Michel Masoero, Kévin Srey, Marion Quintallet) and tax (Pierre-Antoine Farhat, Pierre-Adrien Plasse) aspects of the transaction.