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In accordance with Article 13 of Law No. 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition and Article 10 of Decree No. 2-14-652 issued for its implementation, as amended and supplemented, the Competition Council makes available to the public the “summary of the operation” below, containing the information provided by the parties.
This information has been prepared by the notifying parties, who are solely responsible. Any inaccurate or distorted information contained therein does not in any way prejudge the Competition Council’s position on the proposed operation.
The publication of this press release does not attest to the completeness of the file provided for in Article 9 of Decree No. 2-14-652 issued for the implementation of Law No. 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition as amended and supplemented.
Names of the companies and individuals concerned:
Founding companies:
- The company “IK IX Luxco 3 SARL”;
- The founding partners of Collège de Paris: Messrs. Olivier and Nicolas De LAGARDE.
The joint venture:
- “Newco”.
Nature of the operation:
- Creation of a joint venture.
Economic sector concerned:
- Private higher education sector.
Deadline for interested third parties to submit their observations:
- 10 days from the date of publication of this press release, i.e., December 2, 2024.
NON-CONFIDENTIAL SUMMARY OF THE OPERATION PROVIDED BY THE PARTIES
The Competition Council received notification of an economic concentration operation concerning the creation of a joint venture, which will be established in the form of a simplified joint-stock company under French law bringing together Bariacum SAS and all its subsidiaries (CdP Group) and SHY SAS and all its subsidiaries (Skill & You Group), by the company “IK IX Luxco 3 SARL” and the founding partners of Collège de Paris, Messrs. Olivier and Nicolas De LAGARDE.
“IK IX Luxco 3” is a limited liability company under Luxembourg law that carries out capital investment operations. This company is wholly owned by funds managed by IK Investment Partners AIFM, a Luxembourg company engaged in asset management. The IK funds are ultimately owned by the Wendel Group, a private equity company whose funds invest in portfolio companies in Europe and North America in several sectors with long-term growth prospects.
“Skill And You” is a simplified joint-stock company under French law. It is currently a portfolio company of IK IX Luxco 3, specializing in distance learning in France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, providing nearly 200 online training courses in 18 professional sectors (public services, beauty and well-being, health and social care, IT and digital), ranging from CAP (Professional Aptitude Certificate) to BAC+2, for students, career changers, and job seekers.
“Collège de Paris” is a sole shareholder simplified joint-stock company under French law, owned by Messrs. Olivier and Nicolas De LAGARDE, and bringing together approximately 30 schools offering initial (from pre-baccalaureate to BAC+5) and continuing education, both in-person and distance learning, in France (mainland and overseas territories), Europe (Spain, Malta), and Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon, Gabon, Mali, Togo, etc.), in various fields (digital, management, luxury, fashion, design, marketing, commerce, health, tourism, IT, secretarial work, etc.) for students, employees, and job seekers.
Done in Rabat on November 19, 2024.
