Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has announced the acquisition of Costockage, a French company specialized in self-storage in France.
Founded in Paris in 2012, Costockage is an online marketplace enabling professionals and individuals to rent storage units from established operators and/or unused storage spaces from individuals. In 2017, Costockage launched Kostok, its self-storage center operating arm which develops and operates storage spaces with an innovative digital approach. As of today, the company operates 10 centers all over France with the ambition to add many more in the years to come.
The company and its management team have more than 10 years' experience and a strong know-how in sourcing, development, and data analytics, which enabled Costockage to become the #1 self-storage marketplace in France. Mickael Nadjar and Adam Levy-Zauberman, Costockage's founders, will stay at the helm of the company to continue developing their business and leverage on their deep on-the-ground experience.
Thanks to its strong track record in acquisitions and asset management, Ardian's Real Estate team will notably help Kostok expand its footprint. This next stage of growth will take the form of building acquisitions, transformation of distressed real estate and acquisition of ongoing self-storage operations.
"As part of our real estate asset class diversification strategy, we are delighted to now include self-storage in our portfolio. We believe it is the right time to enter this sector as it is at a nascent stage in France compared to other mature markets such as the United States of America and the UK. The sector's low-emissions fundamentals were also key in our decision making."
"As France's #1 marketplace and growing operator, we see Costockage as an innovative response to the demand for space thanks to their digital expertise. We are keen to help the company with the next stages of its development, especially regarding its real estate holdings. We are confident this is the right opportunity to enter the asset class and provide strong risk-adjusted returns to our clients."
"We are delighted that Ardian will help us develop the company. We are excited to keep working on a first class experience to provide storage to people and companies. We've pioneered the field of turning unused space into self storage, and are delighted to now have a partner with expertise in both real estate and company development. The self-storage asset class is growing strongly and has its best days ahead."
Ardian's advisor: Edmond de Rothschild
Sell-side advisor: Alantra
Legal & social: Linklaters, Gide, Coblence Avocats, Jeausserand-Audouard
Tax & structuring: Arsène Taxand
Marketplace Business Due Diligence: Digital Value
Financial: Oderis Conseil
ESG: ARUP & AXA Climate