Description:

HMY is Europe’s leading provider of retail store fixtures and related services. The company designs, manufactures, delivers and installs a full range of equipment and furnishings for supermarkets and hypermarkets. Number one in France and Spain, its historic markets, HMY also has subsidiaries in 13 countries and ranks among the market leaders in Portugal, Turkey and Chile.

HMY offers a wide range of shelving systems (90% of sales), checkout stands and POS fittings, from standard metal items to more sophisticated equipment made of aluminum, wood or glass.

Key financials:

HMY reported revenue of €368 million in 2009, of which 60% in France and 30% in Spain. It has 3,000 employees.

Management:

Joël Goulet has been CEO of the HMY group since 1996. He is supported by an experienced executive team that reinvested heavily in the LBO.

Sagard’s position:

Sagard has been the HMY group’s principal shareholder since January 2005. Other investors include company management and the Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec and Crédit Agricole Private Equity, both investors in the Sagard fund.