Closing of the sale of Novacel

PRESS RELEASE

Paris, 19 May 2026

Chargeurs successfully completes the sale of Novacel: A strategic success validating the value of one of the Group’s historic assets and opening a new chapter in its transformation toward premium content and exceptional know-how

Compagnie Chargeurs Invest today announces the completion of the majority sale and transfer of ownership of Novacel to KPS Capital Partners (“KPS”). This milestone transaction marks the culmination of a successful industrial journey for Novacel and confirms the effectiveness of the portfolio rotation strategy led by the Group.

Novacel: the successful outcome of an ambitious industrial development cycle

Novacel, the global leader in industrial process films, is a prime example of Compagnie Chargeurs Invest’s asset developer model. In recent years, the Group has profoundly transformed this historic business into a global leader in industrial surface protection, recognized for its technological edge, the quality of its innovations and the excellence of its operational performance.

Through sustained investments in innovation, industrialization and commercial excellence, Chargeurs has positioned Novacel as a highly strategic and attractive asset on the global market.

Novacel generated, including dividends, a 3.3x multiple on invested capital and an IRR exceeding 15% over the past 10 years.

This majority stake sale will provide Novacel with new growth opportunities, backed by KPS's industrial expertise and financial capabilities.

An effective monetization transaction

The Group successfully conducted a rapid and rigorous sale process:

• November 2025: Entry into exclusive negotiations with KPS;
• January 2026: Signing of a unilateral put option agreement;
• April 2026: Signing of the sale and purchase agreement;
• May 2026: Completion of the transaction.

The transaction generates €225 million in cash proceeds before reinvestment and crystallizes an estimated capital gain of approximately €50 million¹.

The proceeds from this sale, which confirm the Group’s revalued Net Asset Value, reflect the high quality of Novacel, an asset that has generated a strong return on investment over the past ten years and thus a highly favorable financial outcome for the Group.

Compagnie Chargeurs Invest will participate in Novacel's future value creation through a 17% minority financial interest, a proportion reflecting the final allocations agreed upon between Chargeurs and KPS, taking into account their respective asset strategies.

This reinvestment will allow the Group to continue supporting Novacel’s development and benefit from its future value creation, while leveraging KPS’s expertise.

The proceeds from the sale will allow the Group to strengthen its balance sheet, support the development of the other businesses in the portfolio, and pay an exceptional dividend by 30 June 2027, which, subject to the approval of the Group’s governance bodies, could amount to €1.50 per share.

Compagnie Chargeurs Invest boosts its financial strength and accelerates its transformation in premium content and exceptional know-how

With Novacel exiting its scope of consolidation, Compagnie Chargeurs Invest reaches a new decisive stage in its strategic transformation and completes the repositioning of its asset portfolio around premium content and exceptional know-how.

Now structured around its strategic signature “Architect of Rarity,” the Group, which may continue to modernize its corporate name in the coming year, is focusing its investments on rare assets with high barriers to entry, operating in high value-added emotional intelligence markets.

Backed by a particularly strong financial structure and enhanced investment capacity, Compagnie Chargeurs Invest benefits from greater flexibility to accelerate its growth strategy and pursue its ambition of reaching a net asset value (NAV) exceeding €1 billion by 2030.

Michaël Fribourg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie Chargeurs Invest, stated:

“The completion of the sale of Novacel represents a major strategic milestone for our Group. This transaction fully illustrates our ability to identify, develop, transform, enhance and successfully monetize our leading assets.

First and foremost, we would like to express our pride in and congratulate all the talented teams at Novacel worldwide, and particularly its Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Denoix, who has driven the company to achieve efficiency and ambitious appeal in a demanding and sometimes volatile environment. We thank all of the company's customers for their trust and loyalty. We are convinced that KPS, alongside Chargeurs, which is retaining a minority financial interest, will further expand the company's innovative capacity and commercial service.

Novacel's financial track record illustrates the Group's entrepreneurial effectiveness, with a multiple over 10 years, including dividends received from Novacel and capital gains, of 3.3 times the invested capital, and an IRR exceeding 15% over the same period.

This transaction also marks a major milestone in the Group's strategic transformation. Under our signature ‘Architect of Rarity,’ Compagnie Chargeurs Invest is now fully positioned as a leading player in premium content and exceptional know-how serving emotional intelligence.

Backed by a particularly strong balance sheet and significant deployment capabilities, Compagnie Chargeurs Invest possesses powerful levers to accelerate the development of its portfolio of highly sought-after international assets and to sustainably pursue its value creation.”

2026 Financial Calendar

Thursday 10 September 2026 2026 First-half results

ABOUT COMPAGNIE CHARGEURS INVEST

Compagnie Compagnie Chargeurs Invest, under the brand signature ‘Architect of Rarity’, is a hybrid company that operates both as an operator and developer of businesses positioned in the exclusive market of emotional intelligence, and as an investor actively managing a portfolio of rare and prestigious assets with strong historical roots. Supported by the long-term commitment of its controlling shareholder, the Fribourg Family Group, the company implements a value-creation strategy based on the ownership, development, and enhancement of its unique portfolio of differentiated assets. As of 31 December 2025, the net asset value of Compagnie Chargeurs Invest amounts to €585 million.

The company’s shares are listed on Euronext Paris and are PEA-PME eligible.

ISIN Code: FR0000130692, Bloomberg Code: CRI:FP, Reuters Code: CRIP.PA

Notes

1. This figure has been prepared on the basis of assumptions and information currently available, under comparable scope and conditions. It is provided for indicative purposes only and does not constitute a commitment or guarantee of future performance. The final result may differ materially upon completion of the first half of 2026 closing process.