Clearwater has advised Saur Group (Saur), the leading innovator and service provider in the global water sector, on the sale of Flower Campings (Flower), the French campsite network, to Odalys Group (Odalys), the key player in European accommodation and subsidiary of Duval Group, a well-known name in real estate.
Flower has developed in the fast-growing outdoor hotel sector, to become a key campsite operator in France and a leader of camping chains, with a network of 116 franchised campsites, 10 campsites, and four motorhome areas of 2,000 pitches.
Odalys is a major player in the market of tourist, business, student, and senior accommodation, remaining European number two in tourist residences, with 11 campsites operated on its own and more than 200 campsites on the market. Its shareholder, the Duval Group, is a French family-owned real estate company, with a staff of more than 5,000 professionals and annual revenue of €1bn.
Generating annual revenues of €1.7bn in 2021, Saur is a European leader and specialist in the provision of water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure management services, to local authorities and industrial users.
The merger between Flower and Odalys is driven by strong complementary activities, values, strategic positioning, and a shared image of "family, friendly, nature and responsible campsites". Flower will further grow by capitalising on the expertise and businesses of Odalys, while Odalys will benefit from Flower’s know-how of the camping sector.
