The troubled French IT company Atos is on the verge of a takeover. There are two takeover offers on the table, but there is not much time to decide.

It has long been known that things are not going well for Atos. The French IT company is racking up losses running into the billions and has changed CEOs in the last year and a half like football clubs change their coaches. A buyer is being sought quickly, although progress seems to be slow.

There are two concrete proposals on the table. The first comes from EP Equity Investment, owned by Czech billionaire David Kretinsky. The energy and media magnate has been showing interest for some time and, after disappearing into the background for a while, is now back in the spotlight as a potential buyer. The other candidate is a consortium that includes OnePoint and Atos creditors.

Urgent deadline

A takeover would give the struggling Atos some financial breathing space. It is estimated that the company will need around 1.2 billion euros this year to survive. There is not much time to lose: a decision would be made on Wednesday, June 6. A more comprehensive refinancing plan should be on the table by the summer.

The talks concern the part of Atos that has remained under that name since the controversial split in summer 2022. It includes the company’s data center and hosting, digital workplace, unified communication and business process outsourcing divisions. A separate buyer is being sought for the smart energy division, Wordgrid reports.

Finally, there is the BDS activity, which has continued under the name Eviden since the restructuring. The French government wants to keep this branch within its own borders. Since Eviden is a key cybersecurity partner of the government and is also involved in digital support for the Olympic Games, the government would prefer to avoid foreign interference.