PAI Partners Makes Offer for The Looping Group
Posted on 05/10/2023
PE firm PAI Partners has made a binding offer to acquire leisure park operator The Looping Group from Mubadala Capital and Bpi France on undisclosed terms. Co-founders Laurent Bruloy and Stéphane Da Cunha will remain on, and maintain partial ownership in the business. Mubadala has developed The Looping Group’s properties, achieving growth and value.
Headquartered in Paris, Looping owns and operates 18 parks in all, with theme parks, waterparks, wildlife parks and aquariums. The parks receive six million visitors a year and are located in eight countries: the U.K., Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Germany and Portugal. PAI intends to partner with Looping’s current management team. PAI has previous experience in leisure, with B&B Hotels, Roompot and European Camping Group under its fold.
Bertrand Monier, Partner at PAI Partners, said: “Looping is a young company with exciting prospects. Positioned in the resilient budget leisure segment, the group is well placed to benefit from long-term tailwinds that underpin the local leisure park market. We look forward to supporting the management team in further structuring the group for the next chapter of growth – and, importantly, to continue delivering an amazing visitor experience.”
Laurent Bruloy, CEO and co-founder of Looping, said: “We are delighted with the opportunity to welcome PAI Partners as a new investor in The Looping Group, a strategic match that would allow our group to accelerate its growth and achieve its full potential in the years to come. This transaction would benefit all stakeholders and marks an exciting new chapter as we continue on our path to becoming the undisputed European leader in regional leisure parks. I would like to thank Mubadala Capital and Bpifrance for their valuable contribution to the success of Looping over the past few years.”
Antoun Ghanem, Head of Mubadala Capital’s European Private Equity investment practice, said: “We have truly enjoyed partnering with Laurent and Stéphane, as well as Looping’s thousands of employees and millions of customers. The Looping management team has done a remarkable job in scaling the business and transforming their leisure parks to be amongst the best in Europe, including navigating a challenging COVID environment that reaffirmed the quality of the team and loyalty of its customer base. We are proud of what we have achieved together and are confident that Looping would continue to flourish with the support of PAI Partners in the years ahead.”
The transaction is subject to management and antitrust approvals.
