Teleperformance to buy Majorel

PARIS, FRANCE — Outsourcing firm Teleperformance has announced its intention to acquire rival Majorel for 3 billion euros (US$3.3 billion) as part of its digital transformation drive.
Bertelsmann and Saham, the majority shareholders of Luxembourg-based Majorel, have made an irrevocable commitment to tender their shares. Teleperformance plans to raise €2.05 billion (US$2.2 billion) through a dilutive capital hike to fund the acquisition.
The Teleperformance-Majorel combination is seen to create the biggest market player, generating approximately US$12 billion in combined annual revenues.
“At the closing of the deal, thanks to the complementary capabilities of our two groups, clients will benefit from a unified leading, high-quality force operating in all the key markets around the world: the Americas, Europe, India, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa,” said Teleperformance Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Julien.
The agreement between Teleperformance and Majorel will enable the integration of Majorel’s digital service investments into Teleperformance’s in-house GPT solutions, which will be available in the market soon, Reuters reported.
The acquisition follows a US$4.8 billion merger between U.S.-based competitor Concentrix and French firm Webhelp in March. Reuters added that industry analysts have noted that the deal “increases the debate about industry consolidation long term, and how the industry will cope with disruptive trends with [artificial intelligence] AI.”
The planned Majorel acquisition came a day after Teleperformance announced it plans to automate 20% to 30% of its current operations.