Paris, October 29th, 2015 – My Media Group, the leading independent media agency in France, announced its capital reorganization is enabling the Group and its key managers to pursue its fast growth. Financed by Euromezzanine through bonds issuance, the operation allowed management to take back full control of the company.
After 3 years alongside Dzeta Conseil, My Media Group has achieved a 42% gross margin growth in a globally stagnating market. Strong of this operational performance, My Media Group, valued at over €50m, has regained its full independence following the transaction.
Bryan, Garnier & Co was the exclusive financial advisor to the sellers on this transaction.
My Media Group was able to grow organically thanks to an accelerated flagship client acquisition process (i.e. Castorama, Groupon, Sixt or Burger King more recently) and to a unique drive to web expertise that served the launch of over 40 rising stars of the digital pure players such as Zalando, Balsamik, Trip Advisor, Housetrip, Made.com, Babbel or Photobox.
In addition, My Media Group has accelerated its growth through successful acquisitions: Libre Echange -renamed Roik- has allowed the Group to strengthen its leadership position on the pure players’ segment, and Geovista has helped address distributors and franchisees’ numerous needs in local media buying.
This diversification strategy’s success was also reflected in the performance of Eggs, the company’s advertising agency. Eggs has secured a record number of advertising campaign contracts this year with companies such as Direct Energie, Lelynx, Pimkie, Euro Assurance, CadreEmploi, Spartoo, and more recently Search Foresight, an agency that has become, in less than three years, one of the leading players in inbound marketing in France.
“These results endorse the relevance of the positioning and strategy put in place since the inception of the Group, a unique offering with high-value-added and driven by performance” stated Anthony Ravau, CEO of My Media Group.
This latest transaction is the 4th that Bryan Garnier has led over the past 10 months in the media sector. “Following the disposal of Netco Sports to Euro Media Group, the disposal of Easyvovage to Webedia and the reverse takeover of Wild Bunch on Senator, this MBO on the leading French independent media agency confirms our expertise in the Media sector and our capacity to support shareholders and managers in their development strategy” added Thibaut De Smedt, Partner at Bryan, Garnier & Co.
Advisors to the sellers
Exclusive financial advisor: Bryan, Garnier & Co (Thibaut De Smedt, Guillaume du Repaire)
Legal advisor to the transaction: Joffe & Associés (Aymeric Dégremont, Melissa Loncarevic, Camille Malbezin)
Legal advisor to the sellers: DLA Pipper (Emmanuel El Medioni)
Vendors Due Diligence: Oderis (Jean-Albert Bureau)
About My Media Group
My Media Group, the leading independent media agency in France, was founded, in 2005, by former advertising professionals Anthony Ravau, David Ringrave and Benjamin Seguillon. The agency is a pioneer in client acquisition strategy and manages both offline and online media buying for over 100 clients among which Systeme U, Castorama, Burger King, Century 21, Pizza Hut, Zalando, TripAdvisor, eDarling, Groupon or Sixt. My Media has developed cutting-edge expertise in Direct Response TV, digital levers, “drive to web” ad creation, referencing consulting or SEO strategy. My Media Group has 80 employees and generates more than €1bn of Gross Media billing.
(www.mymedia.fr)
About Euromezzanine
Based in Paris, the Euromezzanine team performed, on the occasion of the My Media transaction, its 100th investment since 1999 (for a cumulated amount of more than 2 BN€) in the most dynamic French SMEs. Euromezzanine investments vary between 10 and 100 M€; they can take the form of subordinate bonds as well as equity instruments. Euromezzanine can accompany management teams gaining the control of their company in transactions such as My Media. Its interventions can also consist in LBOs alongside private equity investment funds, repurchases of minority shareholders, development financings… The investment in my Media will be the 8th investment of the new fund EMZ 7, a 695 M€ fund, raised in March 2014 from large French and European financial institutions. My Media Group has 80 employees and generates more than €1bn of Gross Media billing.
(www.euromezzanine.com)