Chimera Abu Dhabi, a private investment firm, and Haeres Capital have announced an equal joint venture with the creation of ChimHaeres Investment Holding, a common investment vehicle.

The new venture will deploy its own capital towards the acquisition and build-up of luxury and lifestyle brands in Europe, with a particular initial focus on Italy, France, Switzerland, and the UK.

ChimHaeres will be led by CEO Philippe Camperio who will be supported by a strong team of industry veterans, including Antonella di Pietro, Alberto Nathanson, Giacomo Santucci and Jérôme Macario, as well as a seasoned team of experts in the operations, financial, and legal fields.

Aiming at an immediate critical size, ChimHaeres just completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Zagato, the iconic Italian coachbuilder and car designer, founded in 1919. Simultaneously, ChimHaeres also acquired 100% of Vionnet, the French haute couture label founded in 1912 by iconic couturier Madeleine Vionnet and agreed on an investment for a majority stake in Fogal, the Swiss fashion hosiery brand founded in 1921.

In addition, Haeres also contributed to ChimHaeres its majority equity stake in Borsalino, the world’s most famous hat manufacturer established in 1857 in Italy.

Building on these initial investments, and supported by a strong shareholder base, ChimHaeres remains on the lookout for investments in strong aspirational brands, aiming to accelerate its growth with a focus on international expansion, digital transformation, and sustainability.

Philippe Camperio, Founder of Haeres Capital and CEO of ChimHaeres, said: “ChimHaeres embodies the shared vision of both Chimera and Haeres to build and manage a multi-brands luxury and lifestyle platform. The partnership will invest in unique European assets applying a pro-active management and ownership approach, through dedicated industry experts, to deliver the long-term strategies of each portfolio company. I am delighted to be part of this new venture and look forward to working with our multi-disciplined team to deploy our proven business model in high-end brands.”

Mirian Khalaf, Head of Private Equity, Chimera Abu Dhabi, added: “The global luxury market has shown remarkable growth and resilience in recent years despite the pandemic and various macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges. We are confident that our partnership with Haeres will enable us to capitalise on the attractive long-term fundamentals of the industry and establish ourselves as a leading investor in the European lifestyle space. We look forward to working with Philippe and his team to position appealing “legacy” and “next gen” brands with favourable growth profiles to serve a younger and increasingly more global audience.”   

Giovanni Maria Rossi, Chairman of ChimHaeres, concluded: “I strongly believe that thanks to the team, the vision, the experience, and the available capital now in place, ChimHaeres is ideally positioned to become a key player in the luxury industry in Europe.” – TradeArabia News Service