France: French camping group Ciela Village has secured investment and announced its acquisition of Koawa Vacances camping group to accelerate its expansion across the country.
Private equity firm Montefiore Investment has bought a majority stake in Ciela Village through its new Montefiore Investment VI fund. The firm, which has offices in Paris and Milan, has extensive experience in the outdoor hospitality sector and specialises in investments in SMEs in the services industry.
Currently managing €5 billion in assets, Montefiore Investment aims to support the development of the camping business and transform it into a European leader in the same style as B&B Hotels and European Camping Group [formerly Homair Vacances], which it has previously invested in.
Existing investors BlackRock and 123 IM, which have supported Ciela Village since 2020 and Koawa Vacances since 2018 respectively, will continue to finance the group post-transaction.
The acquisition of the Koawa Vacances camping group is a major milestone in the growth of Ciela Village’s offering, which currently includes seven high-end campsites in France and another 19 accommodation facilities, representing approximately 5,200 pitches. The company has also achieved a turnover of around €40 million.
Following the investment, the Ciela Village group has added to its existing seven campsites [Les Marsouins, La Farigoulette, Le Pommier, Terra Verdon, Atlantica, Les Fontaines and Les 2 Soleils] with the following 19 campsites from Koawa Vacances:
- Les Routes de Provences, Forcalquier
- Les Princes d’Orange, Orpierre
- Les Noyers, Orpierre
- Le Caussanel, Canet-de-Salars
- Les Cantarelles, Alrance
- Les Gorges du Chambon, Eymouthiers
- Le Lac Bleu, Châtillon-en-Diois
- La Buissière, Barjac
- Le Lac de Thoux, Thoux
- Le Beau Rivage, Mèze
- Le Bontemps, Vernioz
- Le Colporteur, Bourg-d’Oisans
- Le Château de Rochetaillée, Bourg-d’Oisans
- Le Relais du Campeur, Rocamadour
- Les Cigales, Rocamadour
- Les Reflets du Quercy, Crayssac
- Camping de La Liez, Peigney
- Ramstein Plage, Baerenthal
- Lou Cantaire, Fayence
Thierry Bouchard, president of Ciela Village, said: “The signing of this major transaction marks a new stage in our development strategy. This was made possible thanks to the support of Montefiore Investment, an experienced investor, active for years in the outdoor hotel sector and more broadly in the French tourism industry.”
