Group FDJ has confirmed that it is currently in the midst of discussions to acquire POS provider Aleda, aimed at upgrading its lottery network.
According to a company statement, the deal will contribute to FDJ’s wider “tech development strategy”, which the group says will better service retail merchants across France by taking control of all tech elements of its lottery and betting value chains.
The strategy has already seen FDJ acquire payments partner BiMedia from venture capital firm ID-invest Partners, in a deal worth €50m at the start of 2020. This allowed for the gambling group to establish its own payments processing platform for its network of +6,500 lottery POS merchants.
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic however, the group found itself in unforeseen circumstances that forced the group to scale down operating and M&A costs between 2020 and 2021.
With the acquisition of Aleda, which was founded in 2005 and reportedly serves more than 2,500 French retail merchants, FDJ hopes to continue the development of its propriety payment unit.
No financial details about the deal have been disclosed, as it is expected that the group’s interim H1 2022 results will be released on 28 July.
