Americana International, owner of Bench acquired by Emeram

Manchester-based company, Americana International, owner

of Bench fashion label, has been acquired by German private equity investor Emeram Capital Partners.

Details of the finances transaction remain unknown. Americana International was previously owned by HgCapital and are thought to have been searching for potential buyers since last year. Last March, the company took on investment bank and corporate advisory firm Camaccord Genuity to reviews its businesses.

Inside sources have indicated that HgCapital may have suffered a loss with the sale of Americana International, as the company originally paid 190 million pounds in 2007 to ISIS Equity partners, but recent estimates valued the company at 100 million pounds, with the company holding over 150 million pounds in debt according to the Business Desk.

In a company statement, Kai Obring, partner at Emeram commented: “Impressively, Americana has established Bench as a successful international brand. We will build upon this strong foundation and continue to develop the business with its unique position as a multi-purpose city clothing brand. We look forward to supporting Americana with this next step and realising Bench's full growth potential.”

Current staff at Americana International, suppliers and distributors are to remain the with the company and its new owner.