Ardian announces the acquisition of Groupe RG, the leader distributor of personal protective equipment in France, alongside management and Latour Capital

Paris, November 8th, 2021 – Ardian, a world leading private investment house, acquires Groupe RG, the specialist leader distributor of personal protective equipment in France, from LBO France, alongside the management team and Latour Capital.

Groupe RG offers the most extensive range of personal protective equipment (PPE) in France, with around 40,000 different SKUs - including its own brand, Ergos. It supplies around 7,000 customers ranging from med-sized businesses to large corporations, with the proper PPE and advises them to improve their employees’ safety and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

With 30 years’ experience in the market, Groupe RG has gained expertise in a particularly demanding and changing market. The company is proud to have successfully developed its products and services to meet the increasingly strict health and safety standards that its customers must adhere to. Groupe RG can rely on the largest specialized PPE sales forces in France with more than 650 people, who have all contributed to the company’s development and continued success in France and across Europe. This is illustrated through its strong network of 39 agencies across Europe.

With the support of Ardian Expansion and Latour Capital, the management team’s ambition is to continue the Group’s expansion across Europe through external growth. Specifically, the company is keen to develop into Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. The transaction remains subject to antitrust authority approval.   

Arnaud Dufer, Head of Ardian Expansion France, commented: “We have known the management team of Groupe RG for many years and we are particularly pleased that they have placed their trust in us to support the Group in the next phase of its development. The PPE sector is booming and offers great opportunities. We will provide the management team with strengthened resources to enable them to further improve their offering but also to seize external growth opportunities in a consolidating European market.”

Philippe Leoni, Founder & Partner of Latour Capital, added: “From our initial discussions, we were very impressed by the quality of the management team and its strong business DNA, which makes Groupe RG a particularly successful company in France and Europe. We are very pleased to accompany Pierre Manchini and his teams in a new phase of ambitious growth.”

Jérôme Guez, Partner at LBO France, commented: “Groupe RG has made incredible progress over the last four years under the leadership of its management team. The Group has strengthened its leading position with blue chip customers and has laid the foundations for its international development through a sustained external growth strategy.”

Pierre Manchini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe RG concluded: “Along with Groupe RG’s management, I would like to thank LBO France for their support over the past four years, which has helped us to achieve our common objectives. We have chosen to continue developing the group with Ardian Expansion and Latour Capital, and we are delighted to be working with them. They share Groupe RG’s human and entrepreneurial values and have the skills to enable us realize our external growth ambitions. ”