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Press Release: Cegos Group strengthens its position as leader with the buyout of Cimes Group, No. 1 for managed training services in France

Published on 14/09/2017
Today, the Cegos Group, the international leader for L&D, announced the acquisition of Cimes Group, the French leader for managed training services and work-study courses. With this buyout, Cegos is pursuing the deployment of its strategy focused on the Customer Experience and remains at the forefront of market consolidation. It has also strengthened its position in relation to Managed Training Services, which the Group already offers in Spain and Germany.This will enable Cimes to accelerate its development – particularly with regard to major corporate accounts and clients abroad – and strengthen its product offering by leveraging Cegos’ experience with blended learning. Cegos Group acquires 100% of the capital of Cimes Group. Founded in 1993, Cimes has become a leader for outsourced training management in France. Every year, its staff of 140 train 270,000 people and 8000 work-study students for companies with headcounts ranging from 300 to 150,000. A pioneer on its market and a leader for outsourced management of administrative, logistical and financial training processes, in 2016 Cimes had a turnover of €10 million.Cimes will continue to conduct its business independently. The management team will remain in place, and the current CEO of Cimes, Frank Morcant, will accompany the transition in coming months.The Cimes brand, a leader on its market that has built an excellent reputation, is maintained. On the offensive, Cegos is pursuing the deployment of its development strategy. By strengthening its position in the field of outsourced training management, Cegos intends to round out its product offering and enrich the “customer experience” it offers its corporate training clients.  This gives clients access to an even broader and richer range of services, for an experience that is both simple and exciting.With the buyout of Cimes, Cegos has also consolidated its position as a “Global Learning & Development Partner”. Cegos already met all of its clients’ needs through turnkey training, bespoke learning solutions, operational consulting, international training projects and Managed Training Services.With the acquisition of the French leader for outsourced training management, Cegos Group has strengthened its Managed Training Services, an activity it has been offering for several years, particularly in Germany and Spain.As Cimes has been working for several years to digitize and dematerialize the management of training and work-study courses, particularly through its EGOS software, this rapprochement also strengthens Cegos’ position as a corporate partner in the digital transformation of learning.Finally, with this operation Cegos is following its goal of consolidating the training market, which it has been pursuing for several years: Acquisition of the German training leader in 2014, consolidation of Cegos’ market shares in France following the professional training reform, etc. For Cimes: strengthened leadership and accelerated developmentCimes, the French leader for outsourced management training, joins the leader for professional training in France. The two Groups share a desire to provide their clients with added value while retaining their respective DNA. This new stage in its development will enable the French leader for outsourced training and work-study to:
  • Accelerate the development of its activities and product offerings, in particular with its major corporate clients;
  • Assist its clients and prospects abroad by proposing, through the Group’s Managed Training Services teams, a uniquely European offer for the deployment of outsourced professional training management services.
  • Leverage all of Cegos’ expertise in blended learning including all advantages of digital technology.
 José Montes, President of Cegos Group, comments on the buyout: “We are particularly proud to welcome the Cimes teams to Cegos Group.  The buyout dovetails with our development strategy, which we have been pursuing for three years. It enables us to further enrich the experience we offer our clients (partners and work-study students), with a comprehensive product offering and increasingly fluid and personalized training paths. This operation also provides further proof of the dynamic of market consolidation we have been driving for several years.  Finally, this stage reflects our desire to be THE reference “Global Learning and Development Partner.” » Franck Morcant, CEO of Cimes Group Cimes, continues: “By joining Cego Group, Cimes has changed dimensions. This will let us accelerate our development by capitalizing on the competitive edges of the European training leader. Our two companies share a vision of the market and common values. Both have based their credibility on innovation, expertise, customer proximity and a very high level of quality. Already SBF120’s main partner for outsourced training, Cimes will be able to strengthen its presence in major companies and further broaden its sphere of activity to the international sphere. » 

Acquisition advice:

M&A advice:Invest Corporate financeVirginie Lagrange | Lawyer associate Legal advice –  Acquisition:CMS Office Francis Lefebvre ParisJean Robert Bousquet – | Lawyer associateThomas Hains | Counsel   

Selling advice:

M&A advice:CambonDavid Salabi – | Founding PartnerEdwina Bassil – | Director Legal advice:OrsanDavid Sebban – | Lawyer associate		Due diligence advice:Ernst & Young GmbH Emmanuel Picard – | PartnerRenaud Regner – | Senior ManagerKarim Lasri – | Senior Manager Legal and fiscal due diligence :CMS Office Francis Lefebvre ParisJean Robert Bousquet – | Lawyer associate (Corporate)Philippe Donneaud | Lawyer associate (Tax) Due diligence advice:DeloitteCécile Remy– | DirectorXavier Evano – | Senior Manager  
 About Cegos GroupCreated in 1926, the Cegos Group is a worldwide leader in training and development. The Group now runs its own operations in 11 European, Asian and Latin American countries. It is also active in over 50 countries through its network of partners and distributors, all of whom are leading training providers and top-tier technology experts.Thanks to a staff of 1000 and over 3000 partner consultants, the Group trains 250,000 persons throughout the world every year, generating revenues of €200 million.Cegos deploys a comprehensive product offering including turnkey or bespoke training, operational consulting, Managed Training Services and international training projects. Its blended learning approach aims at proposing the most suitable and competitive learning experience by combining several teaching methods, such as on-site, e-learning modules e-learning, videoconferencing, videocasts and e-learning.www.cegos.comYou can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook. About Cimes GroupFounded in 1993, Cimes has become a leader for outsourced management of training and sandwich courses in France. Every year, its staff of 140 train 270,000 people and 8000 work-study students for companies with headcounts ranging from 300 to 150,000.The leading French provider in the field of outsourced management of administrative, logistical and financial training processes, Cimes has an annual turnover of €10 million and offers its clients a very high level of services, in particular through its EGOS software platform.For more information: www.groupecimes.comIn videos:The benefits of outsourcing trainingCimes’ strong points