H.I.G. Capital Completes Sale of Looping Group to Ergon

H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G.”), a leading global private equity firm, announced today that it has completed the sale of Looping Group to the Ergon Capital Partners III SA investment fund (“Ergon”).

The theme park operator was created in 2011 following H.I.G.’s acquisition of 7 amusement parks from Compagnie des Alpes. Since then, the Group has further expanded via subsequent build-ups in France and Spain.

Looping is currently one of the leading operators of regional amusement parks in Europe with 11 parks, including 7 in France (Planète Sauvage, Mer de Sable, Bagatelle, Mini Châteaux, Grand Aquarium de Touraine, Cobac Parc and Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo) and 4 in other European countries (Aquaparc du Bouveret in Switzerland, Hellendoorn in the Netherlands, Pleasurewood Hills in the UK and Isla Magica in Spain).

The management team led by Laurent Bruloy will remain at the helm of the company and has reinvested in the transaction alongside Ergon.

Looping Group Managing Director Laurent Bruloy commented: “We thank H.I.G. for their contribution to our company’s growth over the past years. Our partnership, founded on trust and sharing, has been a resounding success and has played a crucial role in the creation and development of our Group. We look forward to working with Ergon to further implement our growth strategy.”

Olivier Boyadjian, Managing Director of H.I.G. France, added: “We are delighted to have worked alongside Looping and to have driven its growth over the last 5 years. Throughout this time the company, steered by a highly skilled management team, has expanded its international footprint and diversified its offering. This transaction is a success for both management and H.I.G. We wish Looping and its teams the best of success in the coming years alongside Ergon.”

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $19 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 and Rio de Janeiro, 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:

1) H.I.G.’s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.

2) H.I.G.’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.

3) H.I.G.’s real estate funds invest in equity and debt opportunities across property types and geographies.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.

About Ergon

Ergon is a mid-market private equity investment company with around €500 million under management, backed by Sienna Capital, a subsidiary of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. Ergon makes equity investments in leading companies with a sustainable competitive position in niche markets located in the Benelux countries, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Switzerland. Since its inception in 2005, Ergon has invested in 13 companies (including 4 in the Benelux countries, 6 in Italy, 1 in France, 1 in Spain and 1 in Germany) and has completed 19 add-on acquisitions for a total aggregate transaction value of over €2.5 billion. Read more about Ergon at www.ergoncapital.com.

* Based on total capital commitments to funds managed by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates

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Contact information

H.I.G. Capital
Olivier Boyadjian, T +33 1 53 57 50 60, F +33 1 53 57 50 89
Managing Director
www.higcapital.com