Merkur Agrees €31.5m Purchase of Casigrangi, Triggering SFC Takeover Offer
TL;DR — Merkur Casinos is acquiring 95% of Casigrangi for €31.5 million, owner of seven French casinos. The move triggers a tender offer for remaining SFC shares at €6.19 each with delisting planned. Completion is expected in Q1 2027 subject to approvals and consultations.
SCCG Take — The deal consolidates Merkur’s French footprint and signals targeted M&A to pair local assets with cross-border scale. Regulators and operators must track Ministry and AMF outcomes for execution risks.
Merkur Casinos has struck a deal to buy 95 per cent of French operator Casigrangi, owner of the Stelsia casino brand, from GPG Groupe Philippe Ginestet and DOFA for around €31.5m. The transaction is likely to trigger a full takeover of Société Française de Casinos (SFC).
Casigrangi owns seven casinos. Three are operated directly: Megève, Granville and Mimizan. The other four are operated through SFC: Gruissan, Port-la-Nouvelle, Collioure and Châtel-Guyon. The price to be paid would result in €6.19 per SFC share on a look-through basis, as reported by G3 Newswire. If completed, Merkur will file a simplified public tender offer for the remaining SFC shares at €6.19 per share in cash. The group intends to request a mandatory delisting of SFC if legal and regulatory conditions are met.
Deal Conditions and Approvals
The signing of the final transfer agreement can only take place after mandatory information and consultation procedures with Casigrangi employees and the Social and Economic Committee of the Gruissan Casino. Implementation requires usual regulatory approvals, including that of the Ministry of the Interior, and remains contingent upon certain internal restructuring measures.
The timeline anticipates the transaction would be finalised during the first quarter of 2027. In this scenario, the offer could be filed with the AMF during the first half of 2027 and opened after obtaining the compliance decision from the Financial Markets Authority.
Strategic Expansion in France
Merkur operates 18 casinos in Germany and holds shares in seven others. Its presence there was strengthened in 2025 by the acquisition of ten casinos in Lower Saxony. The group also has a presence in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, including establishments in Aberdeen, Milton Keynes and Leeds, and is developing a business operating casinos on cruise ships.
Merkur stated that Casigrangi’s proven track record, resilience and market expertise, combined with Merkur’s pan-European presence and technological capabilities, make it the ideal partnership to strengthen and develop its presence in France. SFC anticipates revenues of around €22.5 million for the whole year. The acquisition sets a clear path for scaled operations once approvals are secured.
Reporting: G3 Newswire
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Merkur is methodically building European scale, pairing German operational muscle with selective French casino assets and full-control ambitions.
We track cross-border M&A because scale and control strategy matter. Merkur is moving from German dominance into French consolidation, and the SFC squeeze-out signals they want full operational control, not minority stakes. Ministry approvals and employee consultations will dictate timing — Q1 2027 is ambitious.
- €31.5m buys seven French casinos via Casigrangi; four operated through SFC
- Tender offer at €6.19/share for remaining SFC holders, delisting planned
- Completion hinges on Ministry clearance, AMF approval, employee consultation — Q1 2027 target
SCCG angle: We've guided operators and investors through European casino acquisitions and regulatory navigation in Germany, France, and the UK. If you're weighing cross-border land-based plays or need Ministry of Interior and AMF process intel, our network includes the advisors and regulators who shape these timelines.
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