New York – Zadig & Voltaire counts on a new investor: private equity
firm Peninsula, which has just made an ‘strategic growth investment” in the
French luxury ready-to-wear brand.
“We are delighted to welcome Peninsula as our new partner. Their
long-term investment horizon and retail expertise are fully aligned with
Zadig & Voltaire’s entrepreneurial values and history. Our company
continues to benefit from an exceptional development potential,
particularly online, and in the US and Asia. We look forward to working
with Peninsula to continue the strong growth of Zadig & Voltaire worldwide.
I also want to thank TA Associates. With our shared values, this proved to
be a successful partnership that helped the company double in size, enter
the US market and professionalise the management team,” commented Thierry
Gillier, chairman of Zadig & Voltaire.
Stefano Marsaglia, co-founder and managing partner at Peninsula
explained in a press release that his company has “closely followed the
development of Zadig & Voltaire for a long time, and we are delighted to
partner with Thierry Gillier, Cecilia Bonstrom, Remy Baume and the entire
management team. Thierry’s vision has driven Zadig & Voltaire from its
creation to becoming one of the leading French modern luxury brands, and we
share his ambitions. We look forward to contributing to the future success
of Zadig & Voltaire, and to leverage our retail expertise and global
network to help the company achieve its full potential. This transaction
marks the entry of Peninsula in France, and we are glad to make this
investment in a company with such a unique brand with tremendous growth
opportunities worldwide.”
Minority investor TA Associates to leave Zadig & Voltaire
Zadig & Voltaire will remain majority-owned by Gillier, while TA
Associates, the current minority partner, will be exiting its investment,
according to a joint announcement released on January, 20. Financial terms
of the transaction were not disclosed.
Patrick Sader, Managing Director at TA Associates highlighted their
contribution to Zadig & Voltaire’s international development. “Our
partnership with Thierry Gillier perfectly illustrates TA Associates’
minority investment philosophy. We thank Thierry for his exceptional
leadership and commitment, and Artistic Director Cecilia Bonstrom for her
unwavering dedication to creativity and quality. We believe that Zadig &
Voltaire is a timeless brand with tremendous appeal that is uniquely
positioned to benefit from further growth. We wish them continued success.”
Following the transaction, founder and controlling shareholder Thierry
Gillier will remain chairman of the company with the support of a new CEO,
Remy Baume, who is also joining as a shareholder.
Rothschild, KPMG and PWC served as financial advisers, Jeausserand
Audouard, White & Case and Latham & Watkins served as legal counsel, and
Letus Private Office served as advisers to Zadig & Voltaire shareholders.
Deloitte served as financial advisor, and Linklaters and Van Campen Liem
served as legal counsel to Peninsula.
Founded in 1995, Zadig & Voltaire has grown consistently to reach its
current commercial network of over 400 stores across 30 markets, generating
retail sales in excess of 350 million euros (according to last released
figures.)
Image: Cruise 20 collection, Zadig & Voltaire official website.
