About the deal

Investec advised Neopar on the sale of NextRoad, a leading French TIC services provider specialising in infrastructure asset integrity, to InnovaFonds

NextRoad is the leading partner of major French transport infrastructure owners and operators, supporting them in assessing road integrity, developing long-term maintenance plans, overseeing roadworks, and designing tailored solutions to address key safety and sustainability challenges.

Thanks to its technical expertise, its nationwide presence through 15 branches, its largest national road inspection vehicle fleet coupled with extensive asphalt testing capabilities, and its strong innovation capacity, the group has built long-term partnerships with most road infrastructure owners and operators in France and is expanding into complementary markets such as runways and bridges.

Having successfully established and grown NextRoad since 2017, Neopar sold its majority stake in the company to InnovaFonds which invested alongside Hervé de Chillaz, NextRoad’s CEO. After successfully implementing a transformation plan to improve operational excellence and boost sales initiatives, the management team now aims to leverage its strong business momentum to double in size over the next four years, combining double-digit organic growth with a buy & build strategy. NextRoad intends to consolidate its leadership, diversify its activities, and further enhance its technical capabilities.

In 2024, NextRoad generated approximately €26m in revenue and employed around 200 FTEs.

Our role

Investec supported NextRoad’s shareholders throughout the entire process, including:

• Designing a robust equity story and defining the deal strategy,
• Drafting the marketing documentation,
• Assisting management in modelling the business plan,
• Qualifying trade and financial buyers most likely to value NextRoad’s positioning and support the Group’s development,
• Coordinating the due diligence process,
• Organising a structured competitive process to create the right level of competition to achieve the shareholders’ objectives,
• Supporting management in carving out a non-core laboratory equipment distribution business,
• Participating in final negotiations to optimise the terms and conditions.

“Choosing Investec as our investment bank was a particularly wise decision. They supported us with invaluable expertise and insight throughout the entire process—always with a positive attitude.”

Hervé de Chillaz
CEO, NextRoad