Business transfers

Nov 2021

Funeral services: two historic Maine-et-Loire companies join forces to form Maison Beaumont-Guez.

Customers and counterparties

Julien Guez and Alexandre Beaumont have two names that have resonated for almost 40 years in the Maine et Loire. Their two companies, respectively created in 1977 and 1986 by their parents, were taken over by the new generation in 2019. They have since decided to join forces to carry out a major development project. The group thus formed will achieve a turnover of 10 million euros next year for approximately 2,500 convoys.

In 1993, the year the sector was opened up to competition, many funeral professionals chose to leave the fold of the national operator. This period marked a turning point in this universe, which saw the emergence of numerous entrepreneurial projects. They all shared a common vision, that of spreading excellence and protecting the values of respect for the deceased, families and rites while maintaining independence from any institution.

30 years later and after a successful passing of the torch, Julien Guez and Alexandre Beaumont have retained these values. Accompanied by the teams of PAX Corporate Finance, they are progressing in the constitution of a first rate group by becoming the leader of the department.

Means united in the service of a common vision.

Before considering a capital merger, the managers went through a very operational phase of pooling technical, material and human resources. As the two companies’ historical locations are close but complementary, a central logistics site was inaugurated in Tiercé in September. This site will optimise the flow of resources for all the group’s activities in the region.

"Very quickly, our common vision on the values to be carried as well as on the development strategy to be adopted pushed us to take a step further towards each other. The company of means was a first basis of collaboration, which we decided to go beyond", says Alexandre Beaumont.

Complementary expertise

With demographic and societal changes, the deceased and their families are moving more and more each year towards cremation, which will soon represent 50% of deaths. The Beaumont-Guez group, which benefits from Guez’s know-how, is currently the delegatee of the Cholet and Loire-Authion crematoria. The construction of the latter will be completed in December.

"The construction and management of a crematorium requires rare and very specific know-how. We are proud of the trust placed in us by the Cholet town council and the Loire-Authion town council. We are working every day to strengthen this activity within the group and are examining several new crematorium projects that could see the light of day in the near future," says Julien Guez. For his part, Alexandre Beaumont brings his marble-making skills to the new scope. This is an activity that he himself created within the family group ten years ago: "The monument displays in all our shops benefit families, who can now choose from a wide variety of funeral and cinerary monuments available within a short timeframe. This is especially true with our new human and material capacities.

A cluster for independent funeral directors

Julien Guez and Alexandre Beaumont wish to offer the sector’s managers a credible alternative to existing transfer solutions.

"Our association has received a positive response from our colleagues, who are asking us to explore avenues of rapprochement. We are delighted to be able to give meaning to the projects of these managers who have fought all their lives against the national giants," says Alexandre Beaumont who is studying several acquisition projects. "As part of these various projects, we have entrusted PAX with the task of finding a financial partner to raise around ten million euros," adds Julien Guez.

At the end of the operation, the managers will retain a majority share of the capital guaranteeing them the maintenance of an independent DNA and autonomy in their development strategy.

Associate members