LONDON, 9 September 2022: Metric Capital Partners LLP (“Metric”), the European private capital group, has announced today its investment to support the acquisition of France-headquartered Groupe GPS SAS (“Groupe GPS”), a global leader in the provision of reusable packaging solutions, engaged in the leasing of returnable pallets and crates for packing, storing and transporting solid and liquid bulk cargo.
GPS provides a full-service infrastructure to its customers throughout their logistics process, including rental, maintenance and delivery of its multi-rotating metal crates. While GPS primarily serves the synthetic and natural rubber industry, its logistics solutions are used by a number of other verticals, such as the food or the chemicals industries.
Under the leadership of a highly-experienced management team, led by Founder and Chairman Benoit Arnaud and CEO Jean-François Baus, Groupe GPS has grown the size of its asset base almost threefold since 2016. Originally founded as a wooden crate and pallet provider, Groupe GPS has shifted towards metal crates 15 years ago, based on the conviction that reusable solutions were both more ESG-friendly and economically superior to the single-use solutions that were the only available solution at the time. The Groupe GPS metal crate pooling ecosystem helps its customers participate actively in the reduction of their packaging waste, as it is estimated that one metal crate will save an estimated 14 trees over its asset life of more than 20 years.
John Sinik, Managing Partner and Chairman of Metric’s Investment Committee, said: “Groupe GPS is a fast-growing business and we are thrilled to be partnering with MML Capital Partners and management for this next phase of its journey. In addition to the significant growth potential in the core business, we are excited about the opportunities in new verticals, and impressed by the quality and the size of the existing fleet and multi-year contracts with blue-chip clients. This investment is a yet another example of asset-backed transactions in the infrastructure space completed by Metric Capital, which have also included Gävle Container Terminal and Parmaco.”
Benoit Arnaud, Founder and Chairman of Groupe GPS, said: “This partnership is a significant milestone in Groupe GPS’s history as it will allow us to better capture the key growth opportunities that are available to us. Headquartered near Bordeaux in France, Groupe GPS is a truly global business, which is now better reflected by our new stakeholder base as it reflects our global ambitions. We intend to continue to provide best-in-class service to our clients while helping them reduce their impact on the environment”
Metric was advised by global law firm White & Case LLP.
About Metric Capital
Metric Capital provides private capital solutions to European companies and seeks to support companies’ ambitions to execute strategic transactions. In addition to providing capital solutions, Metric Capital aims to be value-add partners to its portfolio companies.
Metric Capital Partners has raised in excess of €2.6bn of capital over four funds since its inception in 2012.
This is Metric Capital Partners’s fifth investment in France since 2013, further demonstrating its commitment to this key geography on the European market.
~
For further information please contact:
John Sinik, Managing Partner, Metric Capital Partners, Tel: +44 203 540 1550
Bjorn Tessiore, Partner, Metric Capital Partners, Tel: +44 203 540 1550
Diego Prada, Managing Director, Metric Capital Partners, Tel: +44 203 540 1550
Louis Robert, Managing Director, Metric Capital Partners, Tel: +44 203 540 1550