Investcorp on the lookout for Italian luxury brands

Bahrain's private equity firm Investcorp is said to be looking

for attractive opportunities to invest in Italian luxury and retail brands. Hazem Ben-Gacem, head of corporate investments, Europe, said in declarations to Reuters that Investcorp is seeking Italian brands that want to expand internationally.

“We have spent a lot of time talking to the owners of some very well-known Italian brands and are always on the lookout for interesting brands with the potential to internationalise,” Hazem Ben-Gacem, head of corporate investments, Europe, told to Reuters.

In November, Investcorp acquired Danish luxury retailer Georg Jensen for 140 million dollars from Axcel Capital Partners. The private equity firm also held stakes in PPR's Gucci business and Tiffany & Co, as well as had 1.5 billion dollars in assets under management as of June 30.

Earlier this month, the firm said it would announce a new deal in early February, adding that it would be an international company.

The Bahrain asset manager had raised 793 million dollars for new investments in the second half of 2012, the most since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, as Bloomberg reported Wednesday.