Ashurst advised Bridgepoint, a pan-European private equity investor, on the sale of Ponant -the specialist luxury cruise operator and market leader in specialist polar cruises- to Artemis, the holding company of the Pinault family.

Headquartered in Marseilles, Ponant currently transports over 30,000 passengers per year to the polar regions and other locations, operating in the growing luxury cruise segment.

The Ashurst Corporate team was led by partner Guy Benda, assisted by associates Julien Rebibo, Pauline Laredo, and Mathieu Rétiveau. Counsel Nataline Fleury advised on the employment matters while partner Michaël Cousin and associate Sarah Chikh advised on the competition aspects of the transaction.