BC Partners reaches agreement to acquire Ladybird through Pronovias Group

Funds advised by BC Partners LLP (“BC Partners”), through their participation in Pronovias Group (“Pronovias”), have reached an agreement to acquire Ladybird (the “Company”), a leading bridalwear company in Northern Europe, from its sole owner Olaf van den Brink. The transaction is subject to customary anti-trust approvals in Germany and is expected to close in Q3 2019. Olaf van den Brink will reinvest alongside the management of Pronovias and BC Partners as a minority shareholder.

Ladybird designs and manufactures bridal and evening gowns which are distributed through a network of around 500 independent retailers across Europe, more specifically in the Benelux, DACH, UK, Scandinavia and Eastern European regions. The Company operates a diversified portfolio of products (ranging from Ladybird Couture to Plus Size), widely praised for its good understanding of its target customers, fitting expertise, and flawless quality and service.

The acquisition will strengthen Pronovias’ European leadership and scale in the bridal and occasion wear market and enable a wider customer base to benefit from its focus on client experience, specialist service and contemporary designs.

Olaf van den Brink, Owner of Ladybird, commented: "I am excited to start working closely together with Amandine Ohayon and the talented teams of the Pronovias Group. Their efficient network and international expertise will allow us to offer Ladybird’s beautiful wedding dresses and service to new customers around the world."

Amandine Ohayon, CEO of the Pronovias Group, commented: "We are very excited to welcome Ladybird to the Pronovias family. I greatly admire Olaf and Ingrid’s vision and talent and how they grew the Company so successfully to become a highly regarded and leading brand in Northern Europe. The strategic combination of Pronovias and Ladybird is not only very complementary from a geographical and product point of view, but as both companies share the same values and focus on customer service, it will allow a smooth integration."

Ingrid van den Brink, Managing Director and Creative Director of Ladybird, commented: "I am really proud, happy and eager to be a part of this highly renowned company. The Pronovias Group share my love for wedding dresses, and I feel we connect in a very strong way, which is for me the most important basis to start a successful partnership."

Jean-Baptiste Wautier, Partner at BC Partners and Chairman of the Pronovias Group, commented: "The acquisition of Ladybird is a new milestone in the history of Pronovias and another great example of how BC Partners supports the growth of our portfolio companies through selective

and highly strategic acquisitions. Ladybird will reinforce the group in Northern Europe with a complementary portfolio of reputable brands and will leverage Pronovias unrivalled platform to accelerate its international development. We highly welcome Olaf, Ingrid and their team as part of the group and look forward to offering the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of brands and gowns to our customers."