Italian coffee roaster Lavazza offered to buy Maxicoffee, a French online marketplace of coffee-related goods and services. The amount of the purchase price is undisclosed.
MaxiCoffee’s École du Café coffee school and its concept stores offer more than 8,000 items from over 350 brands of whole bean coffee, roasted and ground coffee and portioned coffee, as well as espresso machines, coffee makers, grinders and accessories.
MaxiCoffee’s owners include inventor Christophe Brancato, Italian private equity fund 21 Invest and other investors. The company operates through an e-commerce platform and in about 60 shops across the country. According to Reuters, the company has been operating since 2007 and now employs over 1,500 people.
Both the French government and the company’s Economic and Social Committee must approve the purchase before it can be completed.
A statement from Lavazza said that MaxiCoffee CEO Christophe Brancato will reinvest in MaxiCoffee’s capital with a minority stake, but no further details were given.
Our strategy is to support the further development of MaxiCoffee, which will maintain its profile as a multi-brand e-commerce platform and remain independent.
MaxiCoffee will maintain its profile as a multi-brand e-commerce platform and will remain independent. Our entry will not change its successful business model in any way, on the contrary, it will favour its growth thanks to the activation of international development plans.
Antonio Baravalle, CEO, Lavazza
Lavazza achieved record sales last year, with sales growth of 10% in the French market and an 11% increase in annual turnover to €2.3 billion ($2.4 billion).
