Watson Farley & Williams Paris (“WFW”) has advised Caisse régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel d’Aquitaine, Le Crédit Lyonnais (“LCL”) and BNP Paribas, as both arrangers and original lenders, on the financing of H&A Location’s LBO.
With this LBO, H&A Location welcomes three new investors – Galia Gestion, Idia Capital Investissement and Grand Sud-Ouest Capital – granting their managers a stake in the company alongside its founders, who remain the majority shareholders. This new capital injection enables H&A Location to begin a new phase in its development with the acceleration of its recycling offer and international expansion, most notably into the spirits sector.
Founded in 2004, Bordeaux-headquartered H&A Location provides lease-financing, management-tracking and recycling solutions for barrels. With 80 employees, it currently manages circa 800,000 wine and spirits barrels for more than 1,700 clients. With a presence in France and in leading international markets such as Italy, Portugal, Spain, the US and the UK, H&A Location had an annual turnover of €350m+ in 2022.
The WFW Paris Finance team that advised the financing banks was led by Partner Philippe Wolanski, supported by Associates Jihanne Flegeau-Kihal and Valentine Andaloro. Counsel Guillaume Pouyet and Associate Thibaut de Toytot advised on the M&A aspects of the transaction, with Counsel Hélène Ibos and Associate Marie Dubois providing tax law expertise.
Lexymore advised the incoming investors and Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier represented the sellers.
