GROUPE IDEC has announced the acquisition of VHM, a recognized real estate player with 300 employees based across Porto, Lisbon, and Coimbra, and drawing on 33 years of experience in delivering ambitious projects across a wide range of sectors.
This announcement reflects GROUPE IDEC’s ambition to further extend its expertise across Southern Europe, leveraging a human-sized company built on a shared set of values.
VHM: 33 years serving real estate projects in Portugal
Founded in 1993 in Porto by Vítor Hugo alongside a team of engineers and architects, VHM now employs 300 people across its offices in Porto (headquarters), Lisbon, and Coimbra.
Projects such as the Lisbon Metro, the Coimbra transport network, the Coimbra Oncology Institute, and Évora Hospital (the largest in the country), along with many others in commercial and industrial sectors, social and cultural infrastructure, hotels, educational facilities, offices, residential developments, and parking facilities, reflect VHM’s expertise and the quality of its teams.
“This integration allows us to enter a new phase of growth while preserving what has always defined us: close client relationships, technical rigor, and execution capability,” said Vítor Hugo, Founder and Chairman of VHM.
“In GROUPE IDEC, we have found a partner whose vision, ambition, and values align with the future we want to build.”
Integration within GROUPE IDEC
This acquisition by GROUPE IDEC—a major real estate player operating in France, Europe, and Asia (average revenue of €500 million, 25 years of experience, 700,000 sqm delivered annually, €1.5 billion in financed real estate projects, and more than 1,000 hectares under control)—reflects both companies’ desire to build a shared future in Portugal and beyond.
“With this acquisition, our first objective is to continue the work accomplished by Vítor over more than three decades,” explained Patrice LAFARGUE, Chairman and Founder of GROUPE IDEC.
“We are committed to actively contributing to the development of a company that enjoys an excellent reputation in Portugal through the prestigious projects delivered by its teams. We also have much to learn from their approach and business model. In return, our role is to support its growth through our expertise, helping drive innovative, technical, and low-carbon real estate development.”
An acquisition driven by continuity
Continuity is at the heart of VHM’s acquisition by GROUPE IDEC. This includes leadership continuity, with Vítor HUGO remaining at the helm of the company, ensuring stability and consistency in the implementation of its strategy.
“We also reaffirm our commitment to all the talented teams who form the core of this human-sized company, across its three locations in Portugal,” added Tony MORAIS, GROUPE IDEC Partner and Head of Engineering.
“Together with Vítor, our ambition is to build on VHM’s strong reputation with both public and private clients. The company holds a unique position in Portugal. Our role is to retain its clients and continue to showcase its expertise through major public infrastructure projects and private sector investments in commercial, industrial, office, and hospitality developments.”
Writing the next 30 years of VHM together
In the short and medium term, GROUPE IDEC also aims to expand its core business activities in Portugal.
“Land development, residential and commercial real estate development, investment, energy, and turnkey engineering—these capabilities demonstrate our ability to operate across the entire real estate value chain,” explained Tony MORAIS.
“This advisory- and service-driven approach is intended to be further developed by VHM for its current and future clients. It represents an additional growth lever to sustain and shape the company’s next 30 years, bringing all its teams together around these exciting opportunities,” concluded Patrice LAFARGUE.