Aryes consolidates its positions in the outdoor cooking market with the takeover of Maison Le Marquier as part of a backup plan.
On November 7, the Commercial Court of Dax adopted the safeguard plan for Le Marquier House presented with the support of Aryes, who takes control of this iconic house specializing in plancha and barbecue and provides it with €1.7 million in equity.
Founded in 1971 and located in Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx, near Bayonne, Le Marquier House is the inventor of the griddle and a recognized player in outdoor cooking, positioned on the premium segment.
Certified Origine France Garantie (OFG), planchas, barbecues and fireplace accessories Le Marquier are entirely designed and manufactured in its 7,000 m² workshops and are the result of a constant quality requirement and the exceptional know-how of the company's 53 employees.
Le Marquier House was bought in March 2017 by Régis Flusin, who is behind the development of Weber barbecues in Europe, and Bruno Mabille. The two partners undertook to revitalize the company, which was then losing momentum: integrated sales force, new commercial policy, revaluation of the brand identity, optimization of the industrial and logistics process and improvement of customer service were thus implemented over the last 18 months.
While sales have increased significantly since the 2018 season, Le Marquier House was nevertheless faced with cash flow difficulties, leading it to request the opening of judicial proceedings last June and to seek backing from a partner able to support the development of the company and, in particular, to provide it with the financing necessary to start its 2019 season.
A long-standing player in the turnaround, Aryes has also been present on the outdoor cooking market since 1992 via its subsidiary Somagic, the leader in French private label barbecue, and strengthened its position there in 2016 with the acquisition of Garden Max, a major player in gas barbecues and planchas, with its Cook'in Garden brand.
It is therefore quite natural that Le Marquier House and Aryes have come together, with the Landes company presenting a safeguard plan with the support of Aryes, who is providing it with €1.7 million in equity and a campaign loan of €1.5 million, via its banking partners, in order to finance its 2019 season.
Le Marquier House, which will achieve a turnover of €9.5 million in 2018, was thus able to start production for its 2019 campaign without delay, in compliance with the commitments made by its teams to its customers, and intends to reinforce its position as a reference brand “Made in France” in the premium outdoor cooking segment, while developing new markets such as the distribution of the Traeger pellet barbecue range.
Julien Carsantier, CEO of Aryes, declares:” We are delighted with this association alongside Régis Flusin in a beautiful house that can pride itself on renowned know-how and manufacturing “Made in France”. In a context where it was essential to provide in a very short time to Le Marquier House the financing needs necessary to start its next campaign, our expertise in turnaround matters will have made it possible to intervene very quickly and to work effectively with the bodies of collective procedure in order to ensure that a successful solution for the company emerged. The entry into the capital of Le Marquier House represents for our Group a real structuring acquisition within its Outdoor Equipment division and makes it possible to consider numerous synergies, while supporting the development of Le Marquier House.”
Régis Flusin, President of Le Marquier House, explains:” I took over the Le Marquier House in March 2017 with the desire to revitalize this beautiful brand whose quality products are the result of 100% French know-how and design, thus distinguishing itself from many of its competitors. Thanks to the experience of Aryes, who was able to intervene very quickly at our side and bring us new sources of financing, we will be able to continue the redeployment of Le Marquier House. While maintaining our operational autonomy, the presence of Aryes on the outdoor cooking market also presages great complementarities and synergies between Le Marquier House and other Group subsidiaries, in particular in terms of purchasing. This combination allows us to approach the future in a sustainable and ambitious way, and to develop new markets for Le Marquier House with for example the distribution of brands such as Traeger, Tender Flame or Extreme Lounging. ”
