NextStage AM announces a new investment of €16m in Médiprix, one of the most innovative players in terms of support and intelligent health for pharmacies. This investment, through the Pépites & Territoires by AXA & NextStage AM program, labeled Relance, will enable Médiprix to accelerate the development of its network and new digital e-health solutions for pharmacies and their ecosystem of health professionals and patients.
Remarkable growth
Médiprix was founded in 2016 in Montpellier by Bertrand Pagès and Jérôme Escojido, two pharmacist entrepreneurs convinced of the need to create a real platform capable of supporting and equipping pharmacists differently, particularly via digital and a brand with strong values. . Médiprix thus allows committed pharmacists to enrich their core business, advice and services, while anticipating new health missions and capitalizing on an offer that is closest to patients' needs. The group now forms a network of more than 220 pharmacies throughout the country which employs nearly 2200 healthcare professionals. Médiprix has experienced strong growth since 2019 with branded turnover reaching more than €850m.
This strong growth in a traditional market can be explained by Médiprix's disruptive positioning, aiming to bring together pharmacists committed to key values: innovation, product/service quality and social responsibility. The group has thus built a differentiating, virtuous and accessible offer and model, allowing all member pharmacies to accelerate their development, via:
– Proprietary digital tools to offer the best phygital and e-health experience to pharmacies and patients;
– An offering of premium quality health products at the best conditions, supplemented by a range of products developed internally via 4 brands: Medicinal, Mediexpert, Medisens and Viva;
– Diversified support, training and installation assistance services for pharmacists.
A true commitment from entrepreneurs since the creation of Médiprix, the group has built its brand around strong environmental and social commitments. Thus, nearly 90% of its partners are French laboratories and the group focuses on products made in France, natural and respectful of the environment. Médiprix has also been able to invest in recycling by offering its entire network systems aimed at collecting packaging. Finally, the group supports several regional and national associations by involving patients in solidarity loyalty programs.
A meeting around the same values
Médiprix entrepreneurs were looking for a strategic partner capable of investing in equity and accelerating their growth, in order to become one of the leading healthcare platforms in France and Europe. It is to achieve this objective that they have joined forces with NextStage AM, in order to be able to capitalize on its experience in digital platforms, brand platforms and supporting the growth of SMEs and ETIs on a national scale and internationally, both organically and through external growth. Entrepreneurs are also convinced that NextStage AM's expertise in data, artificial intelligence and smart health will be an important lever for their future growth, at the heart of e-health services, in terms of preventing their patients' pathologies. patients, for example.
“France is one of the rare European countries to benefit from such a high-quality pharmacy network dedicated to the distribution of medicines and health services. We therefore have a very favorable national ecosystem which allows innovative technologies to flourish to better address the challenges of the pharmacist profession,” declares Bertrand Pagès, President and co-founder of Médiprix. “Digital native from the start, we now want to go further, particularly with artificial intelligence technologies. We are happy to continue the adventure alongside NextStage AM, which shares our convictions and our values of transparency and commitment,” adds Jérôme Escojido, Managing Director and co-founder of Médiprix.
“We are proud of the new investment in our Pépites & Territoires program. A gem based in Montpellier, Médiprix is at the crossroads of the technological disruptions in which we invest: smart health, digital and the positive economy. The efforts undertaken by the founders and their teams, as well as the values they carry to which we adhere, have made it possible to create a real service platform, agile and in a very good position to seize the growth opportunities present in its market. adds Michaël Strauss-Kahn, partner at NextStage AM.
“AXA France has long been a major partner in the health of French people and pharmacists in particular. At a time when health has become one of the primary concerns of the French, we wanted to support the development of Médiprix to further strengthen the added value of the services provided to pharmacists. We are proud to participate in this entrepreneurial adventure which shares with AXA France a strong territorial anchor and concrete commitments for the French economy, the protection of the environment and a more united society. » indicates Gilbert Chahine, Managing Director of AXA Epargne Retraite et Prévoyance Individual.
Actors of the operation:
Entrepreneurs: Bertrand Pagès, Jérôme Escojido
Entrepreneur advice:
- Investment bank: Edmond De Rothschild (Arnaud Petit, Aude-Amel Cheraitia, Emeric Crepiat)
- Legal Advisor: Simon Et Associés (Jean-Charles Simon, Antoine Denis-Bertin, Alexandra Bouzerand, Sophie Cognault)
- Financial VDD: Exelmans (Stéphane Dahan, Charlotte Cambriel, Jean Mattio)
NextStage AM: Michael Strauss-Kahn, Mounia Hakam, Marie-Pauline Noel
NextStage AM tips:
- Advisory: Scalene Partners (Samuel Assaraf)
- Investor advisory lawyer: Yards (Igor Doumenc, Julien Brouwer)
- Financial DD: KPMG (Bertrand Thouvenel, Ahmed Suihli)
- Strategic DD: Cepton (Marc-Olivier Bvierre, Camille Bertin)
- Legal, fiscal and social DD: Yards (Igor Doumenc, Julien Brouwer, Laurie Martel, Dorothée Traverse, Christine Hillig Poudevigne)
- DD ESG: Better Way (Marion Pelletier)
About Médiprix:
Médiprix is a health brand, based near Montpellier, which aims to help pharmacists develop. It is an efficient, structured and close-knit network of pharmacists which, since 2016, has brought together more than 220 pharmacies and 2200 employees in France, representing more than €850m in turnover under the brand. Médiprix innovates daily in the service of people, by developing new tools and services for patients and their health. She supports the teams so that they provide expert advice. Médiprix ensures that pharmacists maintain their independence so that they can have a guarantee of responsibility and protection with regard to the health of their patients. “Creating tomorrow's pharmacy today” is the challenge set by Bertrand Pagès and Jérôme Escojido, co-founders of the group and pharmacists above all.
About NextStage AM:
An independent management company based in Paris, approved by the AMF, NextStage AM, which has cultivated since the beginning in 2002, an "entrepreneur-investor" philosophy, is one of the pioneers and leaders of innovative and patient development capital in France. NextStage AM has developed, step by step, a multi-strategy Private Equity platform which represents in terms of assets at the end of December 2022, directly and indirectly, €7.5 billion in AUM. NextStage AM invests in a limited number of SMEs and ETIs (89 portfolio companies as of 31/12/2022), French and European, innovative and growing, to which it provides entrepreneurial expertise as an investor and strong operational support (integration environmental innovation, talents, international, external growth). NextStage AM provides long-term support to these SMEs and ETIs involved in smart health, environmental innovation and digital. It gives them the means to accelerate their development and their capacity for innovation to become the “Champions” of their markets, both in France and internationally, through organic and/or external growth.
Press contacts:
NextStage AM: Jonathan Boudin – jbo@nextstage.com – (+33) 1 44 29 99 04
Shan: Lola Gozlan – lola.gozlan@shan.fr – (+33) 6 24 76 83 40 / Anne-Laure Daulier – al.daulier@shan.fr – (+33) 6 28 59 50 38
