Épopée Gestion, a local investment company founded by Charles Cabillic and Ronan Le Moal, has just completed the acquisition of a property asset belonging to the company Polygone and operated by GL events Live. Conducted via its Épopée Immo Rendement I vehicle, the acquisition takes the form of a Sale & Leaseback transaction. Located in Le Bignon on the outskirts of Nantes, this property is fully in line with Épopée ‘s investment strategy, which aims to provide long-term support for local businesses and jobs.
GL events Live, the tenant of the property complex, is a subsidiary of the companý GL events, a company specializing in the events sector. Founded in 1978 by Olivier Ginon, GL events is a major player in major events markets: congresses and conventions, events and manifestations (cultural, sporting, corporate…), trade shows and exhibitions. The company has 4,710 employees in 25 different countries and achieved́ 1,315 million euros in sales in 2022. The Le Bignon site is strategic for the company, which employs around sixty people there and uses the site as a storage location for its equipment for all major trade shows, fairs and events located on the French Atlantic Arc.
The process of selling the building was completed in January 2023, with an agreement to acquire a new, fully-owned property complex with a surface area of around 16,000 m². The complex is located in a recent business park where other major groups are also based (ZAC de la Forêt – including Bouygues Energies, Yaskawa and Techmaflex). At the foot of an A83 freeway junction, linking Nantes to Bordeaux, this strategic location means that all the major cities in the French Atlantic Arc can be reached in less than 3.5 hours.
This transaction allows Polygone to benefit from real estate expertise of Épopée Gestion’s teams on this site, while freeing up capital to finance its growth. Épopée Gestion was advised in this transaction by Pierre Thubert, notary associated with Quid Novi Brest, in line with its commitment to work preferably with local partners.
Arnaud Lehuédé, Real Estate Partner at Épopée Gestion, comments: “We are delighted to have finalized this acquisition, through which we are continuing to expand in the logistics sector, a positioning that perfectly meets the financial and extra-financial expectations of our Épopée Immo rendement I fund, which targets high-performance tertiary assets located in dynamic regional markets. Besides, this new investment is in line with Épopée Gestion’s commitment supporting local economic activity local jobs. Thanks to this acquisition, the vehicle’s portfolio now exceeds €165 million.”
Anne Sophie Ginon, Managing Director of Polygone, comments: “Polygone supports the subsidiaries of the GL events Group and is also required to rotate its real estate assets. We are carrying out a sale of a premium site to a locally involved player who will continue to support GL events Live thanks to its business and regional expertise.”