Silverfleet Capital buys La Fée Maraboutée at 65 million

European private equity firm Silverfleet Capital announced Tuesday the acquisition of La Fée Maraboutée, a French wholesaler and retailer of women’s fashion. The transaction was sealed at 65 million euros and saw the founder of the

company and its joint-CEOs are also making a significant investment alongside Silverfleet Capital.

“We are very impressed by the La Fée Maraboutée brand and collections which have an elegant, timeless appeal while also being both good quality and affordable, features which mean that the company has a strong and loyal customer base both in France and internationally,” highlighted Maïré Deslandes, joint head of Silverfleet Capital’s Paris office who led the investment alongside her colleague, Alexandre Lefebvre.

This transaction reaffirms Silverfleet Capital’s expertise in the retail sector, and interest in well established brands that have the potential to grow strongly both within Europe and worldwide, summarized sources familiar with the operation. In previous investments, Silverfleet Capital backed the likes of Histoire d’Or (France) and Oasis (UK). It currently has in its portfolio companies Office (UK).

Founded in 1996 in Roanne, which is located west of Lyon, by its founder and current head designer, Jean-Pierre Braillard, La Fée Maraboutée is a women’s fashion brand that is distributed by c. 1,700 French and international wholesale partners, as well as a store network of 90 outlets including 35 own and affiliate stores and 55 franchise stores (37 of which are in China). Approximately 35% of total sales are to customers based outside France.

Since its foundation, the company has experienced a rapid development which accelerated in 2010 with the arrival of Jean-Christophe Astruc and Thierry Pérusat as joint-CEOs to work alongside the founder. Since 2010 the company’s sales have grown by over 35 percent. In the year ended December 2012 the company will have generated sales of 46 million euros, 80 percent of which will be from its wholesale business and 20 percent from its own retail organization, disclosed the retailer.

Georges Spitzer, a highly experienced French retail executive and former CEO of Givenchy and Du Pareil au même, will join the supervisory board as Chairman and he has also invested in the company.

Alexandre Lefebvre, the other joint head of Silverfleet Capital’s Paris office, pointed out that “The complementary skills of Jean-Pierre Braillard, Jean-Christophe Astruc, and Thierry Pérusat have allowed the company to grow strongly while maintaining the original concept of La Fée. We are convinced that this management team supported by Georges Spitzer as Chairman can achieve further success worldwide”.