The name of the buyer of Aqualung, the world leader in scuba diving based in Sophia Antipolis, is known.

There were two buyers in the running : the Austrian group Head – specializing in winter sports and tennis rackets, which announced last March that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with the French Riviera-based Aqualung – and the former CEO of the Rossignol Group, Bruno Cercley, backed by ODE Sports, a major player in Asia. This second offer was not announced until June 18 .

As a reminder, Aqualung, founded in 1943 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and engineer Emile Gagnan, is at the origin of modern diving. The group, in receivership, has its headquarters in Sophia Antipolis and a factory in Carros. Acquired in 2023 by the American investment company Barings, "the water lung" has generated revenue of nearly €100 million and employs some 500 people (including 200 on the French Riviera) worldwide.