Latour Capital concludes the acquisition of Hygie31, hand-in-hand with Bpifrance as a minority shareholder 

Hygie31, a leading healthcare and wellness sector player manages:

– chain networks "Pharmacie Lafayette" (300 pharmacies and over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty products stores), "Optique Lafayette" (52 stores) and "Médical Lafayette " (24 stores);

– the Pharmacorp network run by Gener+ (400 traditional local pharmacies);

– Dhygietal, which manages the Group's digital business (cocooncenter.com and parapharmacielafayette.com)

– Ecoceutics, a leading consortium of pharmacies in Spain (156 pharmacies)

Hygie31's purpose is to ensure healthcare and wellness are accessible to as many people as possible and to establish pharmacies as the first healthcare point of contact in France. As the only multichannel player in France, the strength and unity of its networks, along with its strong online presence, make it the benchmark player in pharmacy and wellness in France.

Its historic chain Pharmacie Lafayette brings together almost 300 pharmacies and over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty product stores around a promise "Healthcare For Everyone" that focuses on an approach of low prices every day, the expertise of its pharmacists and an extensive choice of products and services. A promise that has been widely acknowledged by patientss: over 23 million visited a Pharmacie Lafayette pharmacy in 2021 and voted the chain as the Best Chain of Stores, over-the-counter pharmacy, healthcare & beauty product store category, for the 6th year running. Outstanding results that were also made possible through the day-to-day commitment of members, with more and more placing their trust in the network.

Since the arrival of Five Arrows Principal Investments (FAPI) in 2017, Hygie31 has seen very strong growth in its networks, which now generate combined turnover exceeding 2 billion euro.

During this period, the Group also continued to expand its laboratory partnerships, with over 300 partner laboratories and 16 exclusive brands. This approach, which is totally one of a kind on this market enables network pharmacists to generate turnover and operating results that are significantly higher than the national average.

Hygie31 intends to pursue acquisitions in France and internationally, to develop a real European healthcare ecosystem. Hygie31 has already completed three structuring transactions by acquiring Cocooncenter last year, Gener+ in March 2022 and, more recently, Ecoceutics, one of Spain's leading pharmacy chains. Thanks to this latest acquisition, Hygie31 has become the first French player to export its model across Europe.

In the context of its sale to Latour Capital, Five Arrows Principal Investments (FAPI) announced its intention to reinvest alongside Latour Capital's management to support the Group's international growth.

For Hervé Jouves, Hygie31 Group CEO: "Over the last 5 years, FAPI has supported us in our ambition to establish ourselves as a leading player in the French pharmacy sector to consolidate our model. The arrival of Latour Capital will enable us to step up our development in France and Europe as it will give us the means to achieve our ambitions. Much more than just collaborating, we share values, based on entrepreneurship and audacity, which has inspired us to move forward together over the coming years".

Philippe Léoni, Latour Capital Founding Partner, states: "right from the outset, we were impressed by the management team's quality and its strategic vision, which make Hygie31 a leading player on its market in France and a trailblazer in Europe. We're really delighted to be able to support Hervé Jouves and his teams through a new ambitious phase of growth."

José Gonzalo, Executive Director Development Capital at Bpifrance: "We're really impressed by the development of Hygie31 over the last decade, which has become a pivotal Group in the French healthcare ecosystem, firmly established in our regions. Bpifrance is enthusiastic about the idea of working hand-in-hand with Hygie31 and Latour Capital teams over the long term, and to play a role in the future development of this French champion."