• Clipperton acted as the sole financial advisor to Marietton Développement, France’s leading independent player in the travel segment, offering tailored travel solutions worldwide, to both corporate and leisure clients.
  • Marietton successfully secured a financing round with a pool of French banks, including Groupe BPCE, Groupe Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, CIC, La Banque Postale, Arkéa, and BNP, while reaffirming its partnership with its financial shareholders Certares, Africinvest, BPI, and reinforcing management’s equity stake.
  • This strategic financing is a key milestone for the group, which will be able to accelerate its international expansion and pursue targeted acquisitions.

Our Client

  • Founded in 1968, Marietton Développement is a leading French group in business and leisure travel. The group operates 600+ agencies and tour operators under internationally trusted brands such as Havas Voyages, Selectour, Auchan Voyages, and Austral Lagons.
  • Marietton provides comprehensive travel solutions for both corporate and leisure clients, leveraging a multi-brand, multi-channel strategy supported by a deeply client-centric approach and unparalleled expertise.
  • Since 2008, the group has completed over 20 strategic acquisitions, including six in 2024 to expand its national footprint and reinforce its leadership across all market segments, showing outstanding integration capabilities.

Deal Rationale

  • Against a backdrop of continued business growth, the group has completed its fourth LBO transaction aimed at strengthening the capital base of the 14 members of the Executive Committee. The objective is to reinforce the sense of belonging to an already very solid group comprising 1,800 employees.
  • The transaction underscores a robust vote of confidence in Marietton’s positioning and growth trajectory by a wide pool of French banks.
  • The financing also positions the group in its international expansion in Italy, Spain, and Belgium for selective acquisitions and in its digital transformation, to further consolidate its leadership.
  • The governance and strategy of the Group, led and chaired by Laurent Abitbol, remain unchanged and are implemented by a management team that is investing significantly in the operation. Supported by its long-standing shareholders, Certares, Bpifrance, and AfricInvest Europe, who are renewing their support, the Group will continue its development efforts, which focus on continuously enhancing its offering and customer services and pursuing a selective policy of targeted acquisitions.

Clipperton’s Track Record in the Travel & Tourism Sector

Deal Team 

About Clipperton

Clipperton is a leading pan-European investment bank dedicated to technology and growth companies, with offices in Paris, Berlin, Munich, London, and Amsterdam, as well as partnerships in the USA, China, Italy, and Spain. We provide strategic and financial advisory services to entrepreneurs, corporates, and top-tier investors in Europe who are looking to execute strategic M&A, private equity, private placements, and debt financing transactions. Founded in 2003, we have completed over 500 deals with fast-growing technology businesses, blue-chip corporates, and renowned financial investors.