Actualités

Founded in 1996 on Reunion Island, the Réunimer - Pêcherie du Sud group rapidly expanded through organic and external growth, setting up operations on the neighboring island of Madagascar in 2000.

The group is positioned across the entire value chain. It has developed activities in fishing, aquaculture, primary and secondary processing in its local factories, export and distribution on French and international markets. The Group offers a wide range of complementary products (toothfish, octopus, shrimp, seaweed, pelagic and bottom fish), sold in various forms (raw, cut, frozen, fresh, processed). The company's clientele is evenly balanced between supermarkets, out-of-home catering, manufacturers and local authorities.

With sales of 70 million euros, constantly rising in recent years, the group owns some 30 boats and operates 7 processing plants.

The group is strongly committed to the responsible and sustainable exploitation of seafood products: it has been awarded the demanding MSC certification for sustainable fishing and the state ecolabel for "sustainable fishing", and has forged numerous partnerships with NGOs, universities, scientific bodies and local associations.

In a seafood products market that is growing by 5% a year, the group was seeking a reference in financial terms to support the next stages of its development. The investment bank Largillière Finance was chosen because of its in-depth knowledge of the agri-food industry, the French overseas territories and French financial players, an essential criterion in the choice of a new partner. In this spirit, Hivest Capital acquired a stake in the company, while at the same time facilitating a transition between the group's management generations, with current and future managers acquiring a greater stake in the company. Governance will remain based in La Réunion, where the group operates.

Hivest Capital will provide the group with all the resources it needs to accelerate its development, particularly in its CSR policy and the continuous improvement of its ESG commitments. Hivest Capital and the group's management team also share the common goal of developing the group's position, both in its historical markets and internationally, notably through external growth operations.

Shamir Razavhoussen, Managing Partner at Largillière Finance, commetns:“We are particularly proud to have been successful in meeting the request of the shareholders of Pêcherie du Sud and Réunimer to find a French partner capable of supporting their development ambitions. Organizing an alliance between two players 12,000 km apart is not an everyday operation, and we are delighted to have been part of this very promising transaction”.

Sébastien Camus and Olivier Méraud, respectively Chairman and CEO of the Réunimer - Pêcherie du Sud group, adds :"I'd like to thank Largillière Finance for its involvement and understanding of our challenges. We wanted our new partner to support our development, while remaining in line with our objective of creating value locally and acting as a responsible player in the fishing industry, committed to an ecological approach at sea and on land. Hivest Capital Partners was chosen on these criteria, and we look forward to embarking on this new phase together".

Roland Hillion, Hivest Capital Partners, concludes:"We would like to thank the shareholders and the management team for their confidence, and are delighted to support the group in its new stage of development. We share a common ambition: to become a global, responsible leader in high value-added seafood products, while strengthening the Group's ESG commitment and implementing an ambitious external growth strategy”.

Parties to the transaction: