De Gaulle Fleurance advised Luigi Lavazza S.p.a. in the proposed acquisition of MaxiCoffee

Luigi Lavazza S.p.a. made an offer to acquire 100% of the share capital of MaxiCoffee.

Founded in 2007 in south-eastern France by Christophe Brancato, the MaxiCoffee group specialises in the world of coffee and caters to both private individuals and professionals through its e-commerce site, its network of 60 branches throughout France, its École Café and its “Concept Store” shops. MaxiCoffee offers its community a wide choice of 8,000 products from over 350 different brands of coffee (beans, ground coffee and capsules), coffee machines (espresso, coffee makers, coffee grinders) and accessories. MaxiCoffee’s share capital is currently held by its founder Christophe Brancato, by the fund 21 Invest France and by other minority shareholders.

The acquisition of MaxiCoffee will enable the Lavazza Group to consolidate its position in France, a key market for the Group, and to strengthen its presence in e-commerce and in the B2C/consumer market. This operation is in line with the Group’s international development strategy and will support the development of MaxiCoffee, which will retain its multi-brand and independent profile.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Lavazza will become the majority shareholder of MaxiCoffee, of which Christophe Brancato will remain the Chairman and will retain a minority stake.

If the takeover bid is accepted after the information and consultation procedure with the social and economic committee of the MaxiCoffee group companies, the transaction will be subject to the approval of the Competition Authority (“Autorité de la Concurrence”).

De Gaulle Fleurance (Jean-Christophe Amy, partner, and Brice Mathieu, senior counsel) advised Luigi Lavazza S.p.a. in this transaction, the amount of which remains confidential.

“We are proud to have assisted the Lavazza group in this transaction”

explains Jean-Christophe Amy, partner at De Gaulle Fleurance.

« This will allow Lavazza to increase its presence in all segments of the coffee sector and in its reference markets, and will enable MaxiCoffee to enter a new growth phase without losing its independence. »

In addition to De Gaulle Fleurance, Lavazza was advised by BNP Paribas, the Boston Consulting Group and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (in France and Italy). 21 Invest France and Christophe Brancato were advised by Mayer Brown.