French Looping Group in Final Take Over Negotiations with PAI Partners

(eap) The Paris-based Looping Group, which was founded in 2011 and now operates a total of 18 leisure, water and animal parks in eight European countries, is currently in final takeover negotiations with PAI Partners, as was announced by the private equity firm in an official statement yesterday. Specifically, the shares held by Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital and French investment bank Bpifrance in the French operator group are to be sold to PAI Partners. With this step, PAI Partners, who are among others shareholders of the European Camping Group and whose investment portfolio in the past also included the hotel chain B&B Hotels, want to contribute their expertise in the outdoor leisure industry here.

If the acquisition deal goes through, PAI Partners would work with Looping Group’s management team to drive the company’s continued growth and further expand its park portfolio. Looping Group’s CEO Laurent Bruloy and Managing Director Stéphane Da Cunha would retain a “significant” shareholding in the business. Laurent Bruloy said: “We are delighted with the opportunity to welcome PAI Partners as a new investor in The Looping Group, a strategic match that would allow our group to accelerate its growth and achieve its full potential in the years to come. This transaction would benefit all stakeholders and marks an exciting new chapter as we continue on our path to becoming the undisputed European leader in regional leisure parks. I would like to thank Mubadala Capital and Bpifrance for their valuable contribution to the success of Looping over the past few years.”

The Looping Group welcomes more than 6.2 million visitors per year to its parks, which include La Mer de Sable (France), FORT FUN Abenteuerland (Germany), Drayton Manor Theme Park (UK), Istralandia (Croatia), Grand Aquarium de Saint-Malo (France), Zoo de la Flèche (France) and, most recently, the Croatian water park Aquacolors Poreč. ■