FlexDev Group acquires Aneyron, Spanish leader in sportswear personalization

● FlexDev Group, the expert in textile personalization for the sports, fashionwear and luxury sectors, acquires Aneyron, Spain’s leading sportswear marking company.

● FlexDev rounds out its European network (no. 1 in the UK and Italy), strengthens the synergies between its various entities and positions itself as the European leader in textile personalization.

● Aneyron’s management, Victor Pinilla and his family, remain shareholders in the company and retain operational control of the Spanish business.

Lyon, July 11, 2023 - FlexDev Group, the expert in textile personalization for the sports, fashionwear and luxury sectors, announces the acquisition of Aneyron, Spain’s leading independent sportswear marking company.

Aneyron, partner to Spain’s top soccer teams.

The leader in its domestic market, Aneyron (€7 million revenue) boasts a strong presence in the world of soccer through its thermo-adhesive transfer products (player names and numbers, badges, logos, etc.). The company works alongside some of La Liga’s most iconic clubs, including Sevilla FC, the reigning UEFA Europa League champions, and historic clubs from first and second divisions.

Aneyron’s customers also include international sportswear brands (Adidas, Umbro, Kappa), local sports federations, specialist stores and workwear companies.

A specialist in water-based transfer printing.

Based in Zaragoza, midway between Spain’s two largest economic hubs, Madrid and Barcelona, the 40-strong company specializes in transfer printing for textile personalization using an eco-friendly, water-based manufacturing process, an approach with which FlexDev is firmly aligned.

In acquiring Aneyron, FlexDev has established a partnership with a committed family management team sharing common values and committed to long-term growth, supported by DENTRESSANGLE family investment holding company, its shareholder since 2011.

FlexDev, European leader in textile personalization for soccer.

The acquisition of Aneyron will enable FlexDev Group (€65 million revenue - 400 employees) to consolidate its presence in the sportswear & licensing segment. The group is a major player in the world of soccer, supplying iconic clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Olympique Lyonnais, as well as FIFA and UEFA. It is also enjoying strong growth in the US sports (NBA, NFL, etc.) and motor racing (McLaren, Williams F1, etc.) segments.

FlexDev is thus positioning itself with a view to consolidating the European textile personalization market, holding leading positions in the UK (ELMS), Italy (Stilscreen), Ireland (Sporting iD) and France in the production of heat transfer presses (SEFA) and films (Chemica).

It is also consolidating its growth profile and leveraging the resources of a company that made significant development investments in 2021 (new industrial premises, new production line). Strengthening the European network will also enable FlexDev to develop commercial and industrial synergies between each entity.

New production facility opened in Turkey in 2023.

Finally, this acquisition comes just weeks after the launch of FlexDev Turkey. As a production subsidiary, FlexDev Turkey will give the company a base in one of Europe’s biggest textile production regions, thereby increasing its ability to meet the ultra-tight deadlines demanded by the world’s leading brands. FlexDev Turkey currently employs 40 people.

“The acquisition of Aneyron gives us a foothold in a major European sportswear personalization market by joining forces with a leading company renowned for its expertise and industrial capacity. Spain is famous for its soccer clubs boasting millions of members and fans worldwide, and FlexDev is set to tap into this market. It also allows us to round out our European base and develop synergies between our entities based in the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, France and Turkey.”

Jocelyn Robiot

CEO of FlexDev Group

“The vision and values shared by Victor Pinilla and his family, FlexDev Group and DENTRESSANGLE were decisive factors in this acquisition. We are delighted to enable FlexDev to join forces with a leading Spanish company, to reinforce the Group’s ambition to become the European market leader in textile personalization for the sports, fashionwear and luxury sectors.”

Jean-Louis Savoye

Deputy Managing Director of DENTRESSANGLE

“The ambition and enthusiasm displayed by FlexDev convinced us to join this great European adventure, supported over the long term by DENTRESSANGLE, a family holding company with values close to our own. With the support of the Group, we will be able to step up our development in order to serve the top clubs on the Iberian Peninsula and continue our international expansion.”

Victor Pinilla

CEO of Aneyron

About FlexDev Group

FlexDev Group is a European leader in sportswear personalization. With a presence throughout Europe, the group draws on the expertise of Chemica and SEFA in France, specialists in the manufacture of heat transfer films for textile marking and heat transfer presses respectively. Owned since 2011 by DENTRESSANGLE family investment holding company, FlexDev Group has since expanded in Europe by acquiring companies specializing in textile personalization for fashionwear and sports apparel (Stilscreen in Italy, Elms in the UK, Sporting iD in Ireland) and opening a new production center in Turkey in 2023. Following the Aneyron acquisition, the company will have 400 employees, post revenue of over €65 million and operate in almost 100 countries.

About DENTRESSANGLE

DENTRESSANGLE family investment holding company made a fresh start in 2015 following the sale of the Norbert Dentressangle Group to XPO Logistics. Chaired by Norbert Dentressangle, the holding company now manages net assets worth €3 billion, focusing on two core business lines: corporate investment (private equity and venture capital via the Hi Inov fund) and real estate (logistics and offices). Fully controlled by the Dentressangle family, the holding company is a majority shareholder in a dozen companies, including Kiloutou equipment rentals, OGIC property developer, Tessi digital services provider, FlexDev textile personalization expert, Acteon medtech and Marle, the world’s leading manufacturer of orthopedic implants and precision instruments. The holding company employs over 60 people working from offices located in Paris, Lyon, Munich and Luxembourg. – dentressangle.com.