Tikamoon partners with a new shareholder to finance an ambitious growth strategy

Launch of an ambitious strategic plan, built on the brand’s digital and sustainable DNA

Europe's leading digital player in sustainable furniture, the French brand Tikamoon® is aiming to triple its sales over the next 5 years. To finance this new stage of development, the company has acquired the necessary resources by welcoming LFPI Group as a new shareholder, an investor with over 20 years' experience in the French and European mid-market. As part of this transaction, the ERES fund (Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies, "ERES"), shareholder since 2020, is selling its entire stake in the company. Arnaud Vanpoperinghe and Thibault Deslorieux, Co-Founders and Managers of Tikamoon, remain the majority shareholders of the Group.

An integrated, digital and sustainable model, for a fast and profitable growth

Founded in 2008, Tikamoon grew rapidly, anchoring digital and sustainability at the heart of its DNA. Vertically integrated in order to control its entire value chain, margins, product quality and environmental impact, Tikamoon offers over 1,000 furniture items to the 3 million website visitors every month.

Less than 15 years after its creation, Tikamoon achieved sales of 103 million euros in 2022, 50% of which are international, executing a profitable growth strategy that has so far been 100% digital. The company employs 250 people worldwide and sells its products on 7 digital platforms in Europe.

A responsible development valued by tangible evidence

Since its creation Tikamoon puts environmental protection and human development at the heart of its business model, aiming to offer high quality, sustainable products. Therefore, Tikamoon has launched TikaGreen®, a unique sustainable development program supported by tangible evidence and certified by renowned partners such as WWF and FSC®.

Tikamoon designs, manufactures and distributes quality, pre-assembled solid wood furniture built to last. Today, every piece of furniture is designed to be repairable, reusable and separable, a commitment that the company promotes within its Circular Workshop, which enabled 17,000 pieces of furniture to be recycled, 7,000 of which were repaired and resold locally within “La Boutique Circulaire” by Tikamoon, and 8,000 donated to “Emmaüs Défi” associations and the “Banque Solidaire de l'Equipement”. To meet its 0-waste objective, Tikamoon dismantles non-repairable furniture and gives the raw material to woodworking schools.

Becoming the European benchmark for sustainable furniture

Pushed by its track-record of success, Tikamoon now aims to achieve sales of 300 million euros by 2027 and become the benchmark brand for sustainable solid wood furniture.

To achieve this, the company has built a strategic plan around four key axes:

1.       Speed up the sustainable project, TikaGreen

Tikamoon is committed to pursue its CSR program with complete transparency, and aims to offer by 2024 95% solid wood furniture, compared with 80% today, and 80% FSC©-labeled wood, compared with 50% today. The company also aims to reduce its carbon footprint and to extend its product warranty from 5 years to 10 years.

Meanwhile, Tikamoon wants to go even further in the development of a circular furniture economy by offering its customers multi-local services (furniture take-back, resale assistance) and global services such as tutorials for maintaining, repairing or customizing one's furniture. Buying furniture less frequently allows us to move towards a regenerative model in which furniture lasts longer than the renewal time of the tree. 

2.       Boost international sales

After opening up in Germany, the UK, Spain, Switzerland and, more recently, the Netherlands, Tikamoon aims to continue its European offensive, achieving a complete coverage of Europe over the next 5 years.

3.       Become an omni-channel player

Thanks to its digital success, customers can now enjoy the Tikamoon experience in-store. After a conclusive test at the BHV in Paris last September, Tikamoon just opened a store in Paris (7 Place des Victoires 75001 Paris) and plans to extend its store openings in France, including Lille in September 2023, as well as in all the countries where the brand is already digitally established.

4.       Increase brand awareness

In order to become the "love brand" of sustainable furniture in Europe, Tikamoon wants to promote its values and specificities through online and offline campaigns as well as the development of original content that will enable the company to develop its visibility and create brand loyalty.

Arnaud Vanpoperinghe, Tikamoon’s Chief Executive Officer, comments: “We are ready to take on this challenge, and we know we can count on the commitment and enthusiasm of our 250 employees to successfully complete this new stage in our development. We have structured our operational processes, our IT tools and our organization, all of which are essential levers for the future. We built a solid business base. We now have the financial resources to accelerate our growth, thanks to the confidence the LFPI Group placed in us.”

A new reference shareholder for a bold strategic plan

As an investor in the French and European mid-market for over 20 years, the LFPI Group benefits from particular expertise in structuring diversified financial transactions, and enables new groups to emerge thanks to ambitious internal and external growth programs to support managers in their expansion plans.

Convinced by Tikamoon's differentiated positioning, its track record of strong and profitable growth as well as its significant development prospects, LFPI Gestion has invested in this digital pure player in the sale of solid wood furniture, alongside its management team, via its new institutional fund, LFPI Midcap 8.

Olivier Lange and Philippe Mordo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LFPI Gestion: “We are delighted to be embarking on a new adventure alongside the management and teams of Tikamoon. Beyond its 100% digital DNA and growth potential, Tikamoon seduced us with its unique positioning combining quality, eco-responsibility and sustainability, values which are at the heart of the relationship between the company and its customers. With international expansion already fully underway in 7 countries, we are proud to be able to offer our full support to Arnaud Vanpoperinghe and Thibault Deslorieux, two exceptional entrepreneurs, to make Tikamoon a European leader in its market.”

Laure Lamm-Coutard and Vincent Manès, Partners at Elyan, an Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity strategy: “Tikamoon's trajectory since its creation is impressive. The quality of the product proposition, coupled with the strategic vision and the remarkable execution by Arnaud and Thibault, enabled Tikamoon, in a difficult macro-economic environment, to demonstrate the strength of its concept over its competitors, and to gain market share. Since we took a stake in the company, it has become better known to the general public by strengthening its marketing, has become more institutionalized and has continued its international development, by product line and by channel, notably by opening its first physical stores, while making no compromise on keeping its customer promise and reinforcing its engagement towards sustainable development. Management’s ambition for Tikamoon remains unchanged and we are thrilled to see them write the next chapter of the story with their new partner.”

About Tikamoon

Founded in Lille in 2008, Tikamoon is a DNVB expert in the production of solid wood furniture. The fast-growing company is established in several European countries, generating over 50% of its sales internationally: Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Tikamoon builds its design identity on products that are sustainable in creation and practice, full of personality and authenticity, and whose handcrafted quality reflects the brand's promise: "furniture for a lifetime". In 2020, Tikamoon launched its TikaGreen sustainability project supported by tangible evidence and certified by renowned partners such as WWF and FSC®. It is committed to using environmentally-friendly materials, minimizing the impact of production and transport, while maximizing products lifespan. Customers can consciously purchase with the help of the Eco-Note, a rating from 1 to 4 leaves, measuring the sustainable development performance of each piece of furniture.

About LFPI Group

The LFPI Group is one of the leading independent, multi-strategy ESG asset managers in Europe and in the United States. With €27 billion in assets under management, the Group is currently active in private equity, private debt, real estate, private banking and asset management (under the Meeschaert Asset Management brand). With a strong international presence, multicultural and specialized teams, and a steadily growing international network, the Group currently employs over 400 professionals in 10 offices in Europe, the United States and Asia, as well as 8 branches in France.

About Elyan Partners and Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity

A member of the partnership of Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity, Elyan Partners SAS ("Elyan") is a financial investment advisor. Elyan is the exclusive advisor to the Edmond de Rothschild Group for the ERES funds. ERES is a buy-out investment strategy dedicated to SMEs in Europe and North America, investing as a majority or minority shareholder in several themes: new consumers, healthcare services, e-commerce ecosystem and digitization of services.

Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity is the brand name of the Edmond de Rothschild Group's Private Equity entities, with over CHF 3.4 billion in assets under management. With an entrepreneurial approach to finance and supported by strong convictions, Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity builds and develops differentiated investment strategies that provide a sustainable response to environmental and social challenges. Founded in 1953, the Edmond de Rothschild Group had nearly CHF 170 billion in assets under management at December 31, 2022, 2,500 employees and 29 offices worldwide. The mention of certain investments does not constitute a buy or sell recommendation the securities or shares of the companies presented.

Acknowledgements

LFPI Gestion: Olivier Lange, Philippe Mordo, Alice Pinta, Nicolas Fleischmann

Sell-side M&A advisory: Rothschild & Co (Pierre Sader, Benjamin Osdoit, Arthur Soussan, Romain Ritoux)

Corporate financial advisory: B44PM (Quentin Mutschler)

Corporate legal advisory: Bignon Lebray (Alexandre Ghesquiere, Sébastien Roy, Martin Wartelle)

Corporate strategic advisory: Digital Value (Arnaud de Baynast, Romain Bury, Xudong Zhang)

Corporate financial advisory: Accuracy (Frédéric Loeper, Jérémie Israël, Kevin Bonenfant)

Buy-side legal advisory: Goodwin Procter (Thomas Dupont-Sentilles, Félicien Bardsley, Sabine Bensaid, Charles-Henri de Gouvion Saint-Cyr)

Buy-side strategic advisory: Singulier (Rémi Pesseguier, Justine Przyswa, Nicolas Berrou)

Buy-side financial advisory: EY (Laurent Majubert, Arnaud Darqué)

Buy-side social/tax/legal advisory: EY (Frédéric Reliquet, Sandrine Gobaut, Anne-Elisabeth

Combes, Sophie Muyard, Sylvia Briée, Murielle Brunner)

Sell-side legal advisory: BG2V (Camille de Verdelhan, Hervé de Kervasdoué)

Sell-side legal debt advisory: Bignon Lebray (Serge Rastorgouef, Dimitri Nadelgaft)

Lender legal advisory: Mermoz Avocats (Benjamin Guilleminot, Benoit Fournier)

Mezzanine legal advisory: Weil Gotshal & Manges (Jean-Christophe David)

Bank debt: CANDF (Guillaume Calandre, Anne Balleux, Myriam Crop), SG (Christophe Sancier, Anne Martin), CIC (Sophie Jombart, Marie-Laure Denocq)

Mezzanine: LFPI (César Rodriguez-Montes, William Bertrand)

Press contacts

Mélinda Montbrun – melinda@edifice-communication.com – 06 49 58 54 79

Samuel Beaupain – samuel@edifice-communication.com – 06 88 48 48 02