iDealwine, a leading player in the online sale of fine and rare wines, was advised by Aurignac Finance in reorganising and reinforcing its capital structure with the contribution of a private equity investor – Capital Croissance.
Established in 2000, iDealwine is a digital platform dedicated to the sale of fi ne wines throughout the globe, with revenues reaching €33 million in 2020, up by 15% from 2019. A pioneer in the digitalisation of the wine market, the company is the undisputed «Number 1» in France and a worldwide co-leader in its core business of online auctions. In addition to auctions, fixed price sales represent a growing part of its activity and enable iDealwine to off er a very complete range of fine wines to an international clientele. The company enjoys an exceptional visibility in a global market, with customers and a community of nearly 650,000 wine enthusiasts in over 60 countries and with locations in Paris, Bordeaux and Hong-Kong.
iDealwine has an exceptional sourcing based on a perfect knowledge of French and foreign fine wines, a strong attracting force for collectors and professionals wishing to sell all or part of their cellar and a close relationship with more than 700 estates.
This transaction, which generated strong interest from investors, was carried out by the private equity fund Capital Croissance. It allows the company to refocus the ownership around the founders, who keep a majority stake, and the financial investors. It also provides the company with the necessary resources to accelerate its international expansion and develop new innovative and high added-value services (fine spirits auctions, cellar management services). iDealwine aims at doubling its revenues within 5 years and becoming the undisputed world leader in online distribution of premium wines.
“Aurignac Finance has contributed significantly to the success of this transaction thanks to a perfect understanding of iDealwine and its positioning, an intimate knowledge of our market and an excellent mastery of this type of transactions and its stakeholders. The total commitment, the perfect comprehension of our goals and the efficient management of the process were key elements in enabling us to select the best investor to support us over the next few years”. (Angélique de Lencquesaing, Cyrille Jomand et Lionel Cuenca – iDealwine).
“Since LM Holding acquired a stake in the company in 2014, we have remained very supportive of the founders in their ongoing reflections regarding the development of iDealwine. We have closely followed the evolution of the company, its market and the main players at a global level. The Aurignac Finance team is very proud to have made an effective contribution to the completion of this transaction, which will evidently have a significant impact on the global competitive landscape of fine wine distribution. Naturally, we remain very attentive to the evolution of this sector and in particular to the consequences of its digitalization”. (Jean-René Griton, Raphaël Brenier, Stoyan Kostadinov – Aurignac Finance).
