SG CIB was the joint bookrunner in Vilmorin's EUR 200 million capital increase in April 2010. The deal was a great success, with an overall subscription rate of 224% and 99% on an irreducible basis, making it the second most followed transaction in France since 2009. It was the first major deal in France since the start of the year.
Vilmorin, which is 71.5% owned by the Limagrain Group, is the fourth largest seed company in the world and holds the leading position in Europe in wheat and is second in the world in vegetable seeds. Seed companies stand before historic growth opportunities. Indeed, the growth of the world population, combined with an improvement in the standard of living and the development of biofuels, and simultaneous limitations on the amount of land suitable for cultivation necessitate major improvements in returns and thus intense efforts to create innovation.