Addleshaw Goddard advised Valsoft - a Canadian leader in the acquisition and operation of software companies for vertical markets - on the acquisition of Octave, a software company specializing in the digital transformation of retail players.

Based in Montreal, Valsoft is considered one of the leaders in vertical software business development. Since its inception in 2015, the Montreal-based unicorn now boasts some 15 acquisitions with nearly 2,500 employees.

Through the acquisition of Octave, Aspire Software - the operating arm of Valsoft - will be able to consolidate its portfolio in the retail sector and continue its burgeoning growth, while offering Octave the opportunity to strengthen its position in the European market, a market where Valsoft is already well established.

Octave, a French company located in Angers, specializes in the production of complete software suites for omnichannel commerce and provides solutions for international retail players. Founded in 1996, the company has been active in retail point of sale management, before moving into online commerce in 2004. 

This acquisition is Valsoft's second project in France, following the acquisition of the IN2IT software suite - a business developing and supplying software solutions to the media and broadcasting industry - from Woody Technologies in July 2022.

Acquirer's counsel:

Addleshaw Goddard's team was composed of: 

• Antoine Martin, partner and Baudouin Gueyffier, managing associate, Jmaïaa Lachheb, associate, of the corporate M&A team; and
• François Alambret, Counsel, Emmanuelle Lecornu-Mercier, managing associate, and Naomi-Lan Leroy, associate, of the employment law team.

Counsel to the seller:

• Nelly Muller, partner at Avoconseil

About Addleshaw Goddard in Paris

Addleshaw Goddard Paris is a law firm specializing in business law and dedicated to assisting major groups, SMEs, investment players and executives. 

Founded in February 2021, the Paris office already has a team of 45 lawyers (including 13 partners) with specialized expertise in M&A, private equity, banking and finance, tax, competition law, commercial, real estate, litigation, business criminal law, labor law, IP/IT and distressed companies.

Internationally, Addleshaw Goddard has 16 offices in the UK, Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia and operates in more than 50 specialties covering corporate and commercial law, finance and projects, litigation and real estate. With over 1,600 lawyers, 2,500 corporate clients (including 47 of the FTSE 100) and an involvement in over 20% of public M&A deals by 2021, Addleshaw Goddard is one of the world's most successful law firms.