GROTTES DE LACAVE

What GROTTES DE LACAVE does

Grottes de Lacave is a heritage tourism cave attraction located in the commune of Lacave, in the Lot department of France, founded in 1950. The site has been operated under delegated management by Vert Marine since 2014, integrating it into France's largest network of publicly delegated sports and leisure facilities. The cave operates with a small on-site team of approximately six employees and serves as a regional cultural and tourism destination within the broader Lot valley leisure corridor.

Vert Marine, the operating entity, is a private SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) headquartered in Mont-Saint-Aignan near Rouen, founded around 1990 by Thierry Chaix and Jean-Pascal Gleizes. The group manages more than 80 public aquatic centres, ice rinks, and multi-sport leisure facilities across France and Luxembourg on behalf of over 70 local and regional government authorities (collectivités), employing roughly 1,800 staff. Its core methodology, termed Integrated Technical Management (Gestion Technique Intégrée), bundles dedicated per-site teams, fully integrated professional skills, and innovative programming into long-term public delegation contracts (délégation de service public).

The business model is built on managed-services revenue: Vert Marine earns fees under multi-year DSP contracts with French local authorities, with contract terms and pricing determined through public procurement processes rather than publicly disclosed. The group supplements this core with associated programmes including the internal Academie Vert Marine training academy (notably the first delegated manager to integrate CAEPMNS swimming-instructor recertification), the free solidarity 'Les Ptits Nageurs' swim programme for children aged 6-12, and strategic partnerships with Water Family, Fair Play For Planet, CHU Rouen Normandie, and Tourism & Handicap (Atout France). For Grottes de Lacave specifically, the revenue mechanism is visitor admissions under the DSP contract framework rather than direct commercial sales.

Name

GROTTES DE LACAVE

Legal name

SAS VERT MARINE

Website

https://vert-marine.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grottes de Lacave is a heritage tourism cave in Lacave, France, founded in 1950 and operated under Vert Marine since 2014. Vert Marine is France's largest delegated manager of public sports and leisure facilities, running 80+ sites and 1,800 staff for over 70 local authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourist Attractions (Show Cave / Natural Heritage Site)

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Cave, Geology & Volcanic Experiences (THAJAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Caving & Speleology Tour Operators (THAAADAH), Canyoning, Caving & Technical Exploration (THAJABAG)

Keywords

• Show cave tourism
• Public leisure facilities
• Delegated facility management
• Visitor attraction services
• Natural heritage tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Mont-Saint-Aignan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Delegated Facility Management Contracts: Vert Marine operates as a delegated manager (delegataire) of public sports and leisure facilities on behalf of French local and regional governments (collectivites). Revenue is generated through long-term public delegation contracts covering the operation, maintenance, and exploitation of swimming pools, ice rinks, and multi-sport facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GROTTES DE LACAVE is a public show cave (natural tourist cave) in Lacave, France, established in 1950, that welcomes visitors for guided tours and cave-related leisure experiences. Since 2014 it has been operated under delegated management by Vert Marine, which provides integrated technical management, dedicated on-site teams, and visitor programming through a public delegation contract with the local authority. The site functions as part of Vert Marine's network of over 80 managed public sports and leisure facilities across France and Luxembourg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Académie Vert Marine: Training academy for professional development and certifications including CAEPMNS recycling courses.
• Académie

Products and services

• GROTTES DE LACAVE Show Cave Visit Public visitor experience at the GROTTES DE LACAVE natural cave site in Lacave, France, offering guided tours of the cave for individual visitors, families, and tourist groups visiting the Lot department.
• Delegated Management of Public Leisure Facilities (Vert Marine service) Long-term delegated management (DSP / gestion deleguee) of public sports and leisure facilities on behalf of French local and regional authorities, covering operations, maintenance, programming, and visitor services for sites including GROTTES DE LACAVE.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CHU Rouen NormandiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership on the national 'Parlons Sante' campaign promoting physical activity and health through sport. Monthly health prevention themes are displayed in all Vert Marine aquatic centres, developed with CHU medical expertise.
• Water Family (Du Flocon a la Vague)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Water Family runs the 'Goutte par Goutte' programme deployed across Vert Marine's aquatic centres. Activities include educational totems, children's booklets on water (43,000 distributed at World Water Day), guided tours of technical facilities, and monthly eco-responsibility campaigns.
• Fair Play For PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Vert Marine is committed to the Fair Play For Planet eco-responsible labelling process for certain facilities in its network. The label is co-developed with ADEME (Ecological Transition Agency) and aims to guide sports facilities towards concrete and measurable environmental responsibility.
• Academie Vert MarinecoreOthers · 1 January 2025Internal training academy providing continuous professional development, CAEPMNS (swimming instructor lifesaving) recertification, and skills training for staff. Vert Marine is the first delegated manager to integrate CAEPMNS recertification into its academy.
• Tourisme & Handicap (Atout France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVert Marine is pursuing Tourism & Handicap labelling across its facilities, guaranteeing accessible and comfortable experiences for visitors with motor, mental, auditory, and visual disabilities.
• Operation Les Ptits NageurscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA free solidarity programme created by Vert Marine to teach swimming to children aged 6-12 and transmit life-saving skills. Run in partnership with local authorities and CCAS (Communal Social Action Centres) during school holidays, promoting equal access to swimming and water safety.
• Global Heart Watch (GHW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to promote awareness of life-saving gestures, including cardiac arrest response, across Vert Marine's sports and aquatic facilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Grottes de Lascaux (Semia): Operator of Lascaux II, III, and IV — replicas of the famous prehistoric cave in Dordogne. Direct peer in French cave-based visitor experiences and interpretive programming.
• Aven d'Orgnac: Grand Site de France show cave in Ardèche. Directly comparable as a heritage show cave experience operating guided tours to the public in southern France.
• Gouffre de Padirac: Iconic show cave in the Lot/Dordogne region of France, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Highly comparable to Grottes de Lacave as a competing French show cave in the same tourism geography.
• RECREA (ex-UCPA Loisirs): French delegated operator of public sports and leisure facilities (aquatic centres, fitness, ice rinks). Direct peer to Vert Marine's core delegated management model that runs Grottes de Lacave.
• Espace Récréa (Equalia): French delegated operator of public aquatic and leisure facilities serving local authorities. Closely comparable B2G delegated-management business model.
• Grottes du Cerdon: Prehistoric-themed show cave in the Ain department of France. Direct peer as a heritage show cave experience in the same product category.

Broad incumbents

• Vert Marine (parent): The parent/manager entity itself — 80-site network operator of public aquatic, ice, and leisure facilities in France. Directly comparable as the dominant delegated manager in this category.
• Pierre & Vacances / Center Parcs: Operator of family leisure destinations and holiday villages across France. Broad incumbent in French leisure hospitality with thematic overlap in nature-based family experiences.
• Compagnie des Alpes: Major French operator of ski resorts and leisure destinations including the Vulcania theme park. Broad incumbent in French leisure attractions with overlap in heritage/nature tourism.

Regional players

• Grands Sites de France network: Network of officially designated heritage and natural sites in France, including several caves (Aven d'Orgnac). Relevant peer ecosystem for benchmark and partnership context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DSPvertmarine
• Facebookfacebook.com/vertmarine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-des-grottes-de-lacave
• Instagraminstagram.com/_vertmarine_/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GROTTES DE LACAVE