Cornet Vincent Segurel advises sellers on the acquisition of Ovalt by CEME

Corporate Law – M&A – Private Equity

Press releases — 19 February 2026

The Breton SME Ovalt, which specialises in industrial processes and the integration of technological solutions for industry, is joining the CEME group, a leader in climate control and electrical engineering. This transformative operation will create a group with a turnover of €280 million.

CEME, a Rhône-Alpes-based HVAC and electrical engineering group controlled by Seven2 Development since 2022 with a turnover of €220 million, has just completed the acquisition of Ovalt. This major transaction marks a decisive step in the group’s development strategy, which is now expanding its offering to industrial processes and positioning itself as a global player, from construction to operation and maintenance of facilities.

Based in Betton near Rennes, Ovalt employs 500 people and generated €63 million in revenue in 2024. The company is notable for its employee share ownership model and has been supported since 2017 by the regional fund Breizh Rebond. This transaction allows employees to remain 25% shareholders, demonstrating their confidence in the industrial project.

The operation is in line with the external growth strategy pursued by CEME since it became part of Seven2 Development. The group now has 1,500 employees in 28 operational entities across France and is targeting consolidated turnover of €280 million in 2026.

This acquisition offers significant geographical and sectoral synergies. Ovalt, which generates two-thirds of its business in Brittany and Pays-de-Loire, will benefit from CEME’s national network of 28 agencies to accelerate its development throughout France. Ovalt’s expertise in the agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors will complement CEME’s positioning with industrial customers, who will now account for more than half of the group’s revenue.

A team from the law firm Cornet Vincent Ségurel, led by Pierre Lamidon, partner, assisted the sellers with the legal and tax structuring of the transaction.

Participants

Target company: Ovalt

Acquirer: CEME (Jean de Vauxclairs)

Investors: Seven2 Development, Société Générale Capital Partenaires, BNP Paribas Développement

Sellers: Breizh Rebond, Salariés actionnaires

Advisors

Sellers’ Solicitor: Cornet Vincent Ségurel

Corporate: Pierre Lamidon, Sabrina Lemarié
Tax: Pierre Lamidon, Lucas Desiles, Léa Marquilly

Sellers’ M&A Advisor: Acticam (Denis Le Leannec, Romain Jagu)

M&A Advisor to the Buyer: Blue Partners Finance – Groupe Baker Tilly (Nicolas-Pierre Baumé, Thomas Haize)

Acquirer’s Solicitor: Moncey Avocats(Marie-Victoire James, Alix Auclair, Victoria Saint-Julien)

Financial Due Diligence: Oderis(Aurélien Vion, Louis Templier, Nicolas Dubois, Antoine Mallet, Tristan Dujardin)

Strategic due diligence: Indefi (Mehdi Belefqih, Adam Laissaoui, Mouhsine Aguedach, Paul Bouché, Lucas Laurendeau)

Financing advisor: Investec Advisory (Guillaume Olivier, Maxime Foucher, Thibault Laroche-Joubert)