F/USA – On June 23, 2025, the management of the French Solo Group announced that 100% of the Solo Group’s shares had been purchased by Platinum Equity. The take-over by the US American private equity company that is based in Beverly Hills, California is expected to be completed shortly after the summer. The potential transaction is still subject to the information and consultation process of the respective employee representatives as well as customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
The Paris-based company, Solo, was founded in the year 1991 by Alain Milgrom and, according to own sources, has over the past few years established itself as the number two on the European promotional products market behind the Swedish stock exchange listed company, New Wave Group. According to company statements, the take-over of the Dutch full-service provider, midocean, in the year 2022 was decisive for this. Allegedly, this was the first international one-stop shop solution for promotional products and textiles. The take-over led to an accelerated growth in turnover and confirmed the increased trend towards consolidation on the still highly-fragmented European market. Company sources explained that winning over Platinum Equity as a sponsor means the financing of the company’s ambitious growth plans are secured.
Audélia Krief, CEO of the Solo Group: “Solo aims to shape the future of personalisation. One that is not only high performing, but also sustainable and designed to meet the challenges of today and anticipate the needs of tomorrow. This requires a continuous investment in innovation, service and automation that is now made possible through the financial sponsorship of Platinum Equity.” Stephen Gibson, COO of Solo and former CEO of midocean, added: “The European market of personalisable products is developing fast and in a different direction than in the US. Corporates and SMEs are gasping for value chain efficiency and value for money, driving consolidation towards full-service suppliers of both hard goods and textiles. In contradiction to the US, where wholesalers are inevitable for the supply of garments, distributors in Europe are embracing the benefits of the direct distribution of printed garments and hard goods from one source. In our conquest to accelerate this development in Europe, we are extremely excited to have attracted Platinum Equity to financially support us in this ambition.”
“Solo’s strong foundation and entrepreneurial heritage make it an excellent fit for our hands-on approach to value creation. We have great confidence in the company’s leadership team and fundamentals. We believe that our M&A resources and operations capabilities can help the company accelerate its growth and foster new innovative solutions for an increasingly complex personalised products market,” Louis Samson, Co-President of Platinum Equity, stated. And Malik Vorderwuelbecke, Managing Director of Platinum Equity, added: “Solo’s integrated model, combining distribution scale and on-demand printing, delivers compelling advantages in cost, product breadth, inventory availability and speed to Solo and its B2B customers. In a highly fragmented market, these strengths position the company as an attractive platform for organic growth and strategic acquisitions. We will look to expand geographically and into new product categories.”
Since the merger between the Solo Group and midocean, the organisation has been offering a wide range of products in the promotional products and textiles section as well as extensive customising options. With over 1,600 employees in Europe and Asia, connected across over 60 countries, Solo also offers its customers international support.
