LV Capital was interested in this videogame distribution company for its development potential and its concept which combines the traditional sale (shops) and a strong presence on the Net.
By taking a 35% minority part in the company of Sophia Antipolis SFMI-Micromania, the investment fund LV Capital (which depends on the LVMH group) has announced its will to boost this videogame distribution company and to bring, especially, the knowledge LVMH for a conquest of European markets. The total amount has not been revealed.
SFMI-Micromania, which office is in Sophia-Antipolis, composed of about fifteen people, is a videogame distribution company which has proved to be the French leader in that field. Created in 1983, it has particularly made a lot of effort, during these ultimate years, towards the expansion of the number of its shops. Today, it owns almost a hundred of shops throughout France. In such shops, everything is done to see the videogames in demonstration. One of the original sides of the concept of Micromania. As the other originality is the development of an Internet site dedicated to videogames ( /www.micromania.fr">www.micromania.fr). This site is updated everyday, and there you can find the latest videogames, game consoles, as well as numerous tests, contests, etc.
In a release, LVMH has declared to be interested in Micromania for its high development potential as well as for its selling concept, with on one hand the total number of shops and on the other an Internet site with a database of 1.5 million customers. That's a way for the group of Bernard Arnault, which already invested a lot on the technopole (Aucland and Respublica.fr through the intermediary of Europatweb), to challenge the FNAC of its eternal competitor PPR, on the expanding field of videogames…