Souter Investments, the family investment office of Sir Brian Souter, is part of a consortium which has bought the luxury fragrance and interiors brand Clive Christian.
The business has been acquired for an undisclosed price by EME Investments 5 Ltd whose stakeholders include Souter Investments, Sir Brian’s sister Ann Gloag and veteran city investor Jon Moulton.
Clive Christian, who will continue to hold a stake in the business he founded in 1978, will become creative director while Amy Nelson-Bennett, the former CEO of Molton Brown is taking over as chief executive.
Calum Cusiter of Souter Investments said: “We are no stranger to investing in luxury brands having been part of the syndicate that successfully invested in Sunseeker, the luxury motor yacht manufacturer.
“Clive Christian is one of the most respected luxury fragrance brands in the world and we look forward to playing our part in growing the business in the UK and around the globe.”
Makers of the world’s most expensive perfume, the brand is available in the world’s most exclusive stores including Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Saks Fifth Avenue. It also has close associations with members of the British Royal Family.
In addition to perfumes, the Clive Christian name is attached to furnishings and interiors.
Mr Christian said: “We have evolved to the stage where we now require new expertise and significant investment to move the brand forward in a progressive manner and I want to ensure succession plans are in place as well as a management structure that enables us to better grasp opportunities as they arise in market. I have retained a minority shareholding and will continue to be actively involved in the business.”
The brand is unapologetically British, heraldic, opulent and committed to producing the absolute best in its field. The Mayfair-headquartered company employs several hundred people.
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Notes for Editors:
Souter Investments is the family investment office of Sir Brian Souter, co-founder and Chairman of Stagecoach Group plc. It makes investments across a broad range of asset classes, with a primary focus on private equity, but it also maintains allocations to other asset classes such as private equity funds, listed equities and property.
Transport investments are made by Souter Investments’ sister company, Highland Global Transport.
Together, Souter Investments and Highland Global Transport hold equity investments in approximately 30 unquoted companies.
Outside of transport the unquoted portfolio includes holdings in Baywater Healthcare, the leading UK homecare provider; One Search Direct, a leading independent property, title and legal search provider for the English conveyancing market; First Scottish Group, which provides the similar products and services but for the Scottish market; Virgin Mobile Latin America, a mobile virtual network operator in Chile, Columbia and Mexico; Endura, the bicycle and triathlon clothing manufacturer; and OTEAC, the Aberdeen based oil services business which recently acquired HVAC&R.
Unquoted transport investments include New Zealand based urban bus operators Mana Coach Services, Howick and Eastern Buses and Reesby Buses; Auckland based ferry businesses Fullers Group and 360 Discovery; and long-distance express coach operators ManaBus.com and nakedbus.com. In Europe, Highland Global Transport holds stakes in intercity express coach operators PolskiBus.com, OnniBus.com and SuperBus.com; in leading international bus and coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis; and in the Turkish ferry operator Istanbul Deniz Otobusleri.