Communications Voir Announces its Acquisition by XPND Capital and Members of its Management Team

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - April 29, 2015) - Communications Voir, a Quebec media and e-commerce company, is proud to announce that all shares owned by its founder Pierre Paquet, have been purchased by a group of buyers comprised of XPND Capital and two key members of the management team, Michel Fortin and Hugues Mailhot. XPND Capital, a Quebec-based private equity firm focused on growth investments, will become an important shareholder of Communications Voir and will support management with the implementation of its growth plan.

"The arrival of new information technologies has completely changed the traditional media industry. By leveraging its strong reputation, Voir's team has reinvented its business model and adapted to the new reality. We are particularly interested in the growth potential of their new online marketplace Boutique Voir (boutique.voir.ca), which gives local businesses and the arts & culture scene an innovative new platform," said Alexandre Taillefer, senior partner at XPND Capital.

"Over the last few years, we focused our efforts on repositioning Voir and the arrival of a strategic partner like Alexandre Taillefer and XPND Capital's team represents an important opportunity. We also share a common goal to encourage consumers to favour our local culture and businesses," said Michel Fortin, President of Communications Voir. "With the ongoing media crisis and large American corporations like Google and Facebook in the market, we decided to focus on delivering high quality editorial content and developing an online marketplace (Boutique Voir) where revenues are generated by members of our own community," added Hugues Mailhot, Vice-President of Communications Voir.

About Communications Voir :

Founded in 1986 by Pierre Paquet, Communications Voir started its activities as the editor of Journal Voir. For over 30 years, the Company has become an undeniable figure of the arts and culture news, gastronomy and lifestyle. It owns Boutique Voir, Voir.ca, Guide Restos Voir, Recettes de chefs, Atelier Voir (web site design), bi-weekly publications : Voir Montreal and Quebec, Diffumag (distribution company) and Panoramik, an indoor advertising network. The Company employs over 50 people in Quebec.

About XPND Capital :

XPND Capital is a private equity firm focused on growth investments in exceptional Quebec-based companies. Its mission is to help build the next generation of large successful companies in Quebec, by bringing strategic capital and expertise and collaborating with entrepreneurs in their growth phase. www.xpnd.com