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Groupe STEP

Cognos France advises Groupe STEP on its transfer to HESTIA

Cognos member based in France, Societex advises Groupe STEP, a French manufacturer of made-to-measure wood and metal furniture, on its transfer to HESTIA (CJS, GVA, BALTYS)

The STEP Group is a fully integrated French industrial group specialising in wood and metalworking for industry and shopfitting. The Group is made up of four companies with complementary expertise:

  • STEP, manufacturer of metal furniture, primary parts, sub-assemblies for industry (automotive, rail, energy, etc.) and industrial subcontractor
  •  FC2AA, a manufacturer of wooden furniture and made-to-measure fittings
  •  RASEC AMÉNAGEMENT, manufacturer of check-out furniture and specialised furniture for points of sale (supermarkets, hypermarkets, pharmacies, luxury goods shops, etc.)
  • RASEC BELGIUM, distributor of RASEC AMENAGEMENT products in Belgium.
  • The Group has four production sites in France, located close together geographically, enabling strong industrial synergies and limiting the use of external subcontractors.
  • The STEP Group, which achieved consolidated sales of nearly €35m in 2022, counts among its regular customers nationally and internationally renowned names in the retail, automotive, rail, banking and luxury sectors.
  • HESTIA (through its current subsidiaries CJS, GVA and Baltys), a specialist in equipment and fittings for sales and service outlets, designs products through its integrated design studio, manufactures furniture in its current 5 production plants, and also has the capacity to carry out fittings work (TCE).HESTIA positioned itself as part of the competitive process put in place by Societex Corporate Finance.
  • This merger will enable HESTIA, and its CEO Jean-François Lendais, to continue its strong development, notably through external growth, to significantly strengthen its industrial presence in France with 9 production plants, and to benefit from greater synergies between the different entities.

Following a recommendation from an industrial friend, I turned to Societex to help me sell my entire group of 4 companies. Having never sold a company before, Societex first of all provided me with their expertise on the various issues involved in a sale. They played their role of facilitator between the transferee and the transferor to perfection. I liked their very human approach to the transaction, which can sometimes appear to be nothing more than a financial operation: above all, their support made the sale a success. I would like to thank the entire Societex team for their professionalism, approach, exchanges and pertinent advice. I would like to make a special mention of Mr Clément Matelot for his unfailing support, expertise and availability at all times throughout the process. Vincent MOREL, CEO of STEP Group
Thomas Beaurain
Thomas Beaurain