Proventis Partners advises H.I.G. Europe in its acquisition of Lagardère Sports

Hamburg, 21 February 2020 – H.I.G. acquires the leading global sports marketing firm from Groupe Lagardère.

The Transaction

H.I.G. Europe, an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC (“H.I.G.”), a leading global private equity investment firm, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Lagardère Sports (the “Company”) from Groupe Lagardère, a multinational media group, which will retain a minority shareholding of 24.9%. The transaction is subject to clearance by the relevant antitrust authorities.

“The global sports marketing segment is a multibillion Euro industry with attractive long-term growth prospects fueled by the continuously increasing popularity of sports and the digitization of sports marketing services. H.I.G. is looking forward to drive the business to the next level together with a truly global management team,” commented Christian Kraul-von Renner, Managing Director at H.I.G.

The Role of Proventis Partners

Based on its longstanding experience in advising on transactions in the sports marketing sector and a strong network of industry experts, Proventis Partners initiated the transaction for H.I.G. and supported the investment team throughout the acquisition process.

About Lagardère Sports

Lagardère Sports is a leading global sports marketing firm providing sponsorship, media, brand consulting, as well as event management, and athlete management services. It employs approximately 1,300 full-time employees and generates annual sales of more than EUR 450 million. The Company, which will be rebranded following the completion of the sale, has long-standing relationships with major brands and rightsholders in the sports market and leverages a truly global network of partners and customers.

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with over €31 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused / value-added approach. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of €27 billion.