Orange Enters Exclusive Negotiations to Acquire Bus. & Decision To Accelerate Orange Bus. Services’ Growth in Data Intellig...
May 18 2017 - 12:32PM
Business Wire
Not for distribution in the United States of
America
- Orange is entering exclusive
negotiations to acquire a controlling stake in Business &
Decision, an international consulting and systems integration
group.
- The acquisition aims to reinforce
Orange Business Services’ leadership as an operator and integrator
of data services in France and abroad.
Orange announces that it has entered into exclusive negotiations
to acquire a controlling stake of around 67 percent of Business
& Decision, a company listed on Euronext Paris, from the
majority shareholders - the Bensabat family and Christophe
Dumoulin.
Specialising in data and digital services, Business &
Decision is a leading player in Business Intelligence and CRM
(Customer Relationship Management). The company has 2,500 employees
in France and internationally, particularly in Europe.
The transaction will be finalized following the procedure of
informing and consulting the employee representative bodies of both
Network Related Services (an Orange subsidiary) and Business &
Decision. It is also subject to the usual suspensive conditions,
including the approval of the relevant competition authorities.
Once these conditions have been met, the operation will be carried
out in cash on the basis of a maximum price of 7.93 euros per
share.
In the event of the successful acquisition of a majority stake,
Orange will file a simplified public offer for all Business &
Decision shares it does not hold. To do this, and subject to the
approval of market authorities, Orange will offer shareholders 7.93
euros per share in cash, which corresponds to the maximum price
paid by the majority shareholders.
This price of 7.93 euros per share represents a premium of 34
percent compared to the average share price over the previous 12
months. The offer values the entire capital of Business &
Decision at approximately 62.5 million euros. Trading was suspended
on Monday, 8 May 2017 following market rumours published in the
media on Friday, 5 May 2017.
This acquisition project is part of Orange Business Services'
development strategy, which aims to position it as a global player
in digital transformation and as a global leader across the entire
data services value-chain.
Today, Orange Business Services is already a global leader in
secure data transport services thanks to its expertise in network
management and is well positioned in data collection and storage.
The acquisition of Business & Decision and, in particular, its
expertise in Business Intelligence and data science, would
significantly strengthen the activities of Orange Business Services
in France and internationally in data governance and data
analysis.
Business & Decision's teams and customers stand to benefit
from the breadth of Orange Business Services' capabilities as an
operator and integrator in areas such as the internet of things,
cloud computing, cybersecurity and application development. They
will also benefit from the international scope of the Orange
Business Services sales network that supports multinational
corporations around the world.
"Business & Decision and Orange Business Services share a
genuine digital culture based on common skill sets, while offering
complementary catalogues of services to their customers. We are
convinced that the combination of Business & Decision's
expertise in data and Business Intelligence and our dual know-how
as an operator and service integrator will be a key lever that will
enable us to accelerate the digital transformation of our
enterprise customers and stimulate growth,” said Thierry Bonhomme,
the Orange Group's Deputy CEO in charge of Orange Business
Services.
"This operation is perfectly in line with the realization of our
strategic objectives around our two key offerings: data and digital
services. It is an opportunity for Business & Decision and its
teams to deploy our expertise in new markets in France and
internationally, and to continue to invest and innovate in
data-driven technologies. The values of Business & Decision,
which are dear to its founder, and that are focused on the respect
of its employees, are also shared by Orange, and I am convinced
that this is an excellent indicator of the future success of this
project," said Christophe Dumoulin, Managing Director of Business
& Decision.
“I am extremely happy that Business & Decision is joining a
group that shares the same values as the company’s founder Patrick
Bensabat with regards to assuring the best interests of the
company’s employees and customers. This union will bring the fresh
dynamic which the company that he created now needs to move
forward. Business & Decision’s teams, that Patrick had
cherished with enormous esteem and affection, will now contribute
to the success of the Orange Group by bringing their expertise and
operational efficiency," said Tova Bensabat, Board member and
representative of the family-held majority ownership.
The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the
third quarter of 2017.
About OrangeOrange is one of the world’s leading
telecommunications operators with sales of 40,9 billion euros in
2016 and 154,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2017, including
95,000 employees in France. Present in 29 countries, the Group has
a total customer base of 265 million customers worldwide at 31
March 2017, including 203 million mobile customers and
19 million fixed broadband customers. Orange is also a leading
provider of global IT and telecommunication services to
multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.
In March 2015, the Group presented its new strategic plan
“Essentials2020” which places customer experience at the heart of
its strategy with the aim of allowing them to benefit fully from
the digital universe and the power of its new generation
networks.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New
York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).For more information on the
internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com,
www.orange-business.com or to follow us on Twitter:
@orangegrouppr.Orange and any other Orange product or service names
included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand
Services Limited.
About Business & DecisionBusiness & Decision, a global
consulting and systems integration group (CSI), is a leader in
Business Intelligence (BI) and CRM, and is a leading e-Business
player. The Group contributes to the success of high added-value
projects for businesses and supports its customers in various
innovative areas such as Big Data and digital services. The company
is recognized for its operational and technical expertise by
leading software developers with whom it has built-up solid
partnerships. With its unique capabilities in its specialist areas,
Business & Decision offers tailored solutions for a broad range
of sectors and industry functions. Business & Decision operates
in 12 countries and employs more than 2,500 people in France and
around the world.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170518006055/en/
Press contacts:Orange GroupTom Wright, +33 1 44 44 93
93tom.wright@orange.comorBusiness & DecisionSafa Baghai, +33 1
56 21 21 20safa.baghai@businessdecision.com
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