Houlihan Lokey Advises Amerigo Group

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Amerigo Group, a portfolio company of Pechel, has been acquired by an investor consortium consisting of funds managed by Trocadero Capital Partners, Africinvest, and Bpifrance. The transaction closed on 20 April 2022. The transaction value is undisclosed.

Amerigo Group is the holding company of Automotor, the leading French exporter of spare parts for the Independent Automotive Aftermarket. Automotor sells OEM and OES parts in 70 countries as well as a range of products under its own brand, AF.

Other group companies include Automotor Logistique, a specialist in the international automotive parts supply chain; Amerigo International, an international trading group generating a business volume of close to €1 billion by connecting more than 35 suppliers with a network of over 60 distributors; and E-Reliable, the digital platform enabling all the Amerigo ecosystem to interact, identify the right parts, place orders, and have access to technical documentation.

Founded in 1972, Amerigo Group generates a turnover of c. €70 million and has been growing at double-digit rates. Seller Pechel is a long-standing French private equity fund.

The investor consortium is led by Trocadero Capital Partners, an independent fund manager supporting French companies with private equity and debt. AfricInvest, one of the largest African private equity funds, and Bpifrance, the French public investment bank, are co-investing with Trocadero Capital Partners and Amerigo Group’s management team to support its successful international growth.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Amerigo Group and its shareholders and assisted in initiating, structuring, and negotiating all aspects of the transaction. The firm also advised the investor consortium on a tailor-made debt financing structure. This transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s position as a leading advisor in the automotive aftermarket.