The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg — JAB Holding Co., owned by the billionaire Reimann family, has kicked off the sale process for luxury shoe brand Bally International AG, which could fetch at least €600 million ($707 million), people with knowledge of the matter said.
JAB has sent out marketing materials to potential suitors and asked for indicative bids by the middle of September, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The sale is expected to draw interest from private equity firms and Asian fashion companies, the people said.
JAB said in April it was reviewing options for Bally to focus on its food and beverage business, which has grown into one of the world’s largest coffee sellers through the acquisitions of Keurig Green Mountain Inc. and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. Last month the firm bought Panera Bread Co. in a deal that valued the bakery-cafe chain at about $7.5 billion, including debt.
Also in July, JAB agreed to sell London-based shoemaker Jimmy Choo Plc to Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. for about $1.2 billion. A representative for JAB declined to comment on the Bally sale process.
Founded in Schonenwerd, Switzerland in 1851, Bally makes luxury leather shoes that range from loafers to fur-lined winter boots, as well as accessories like belts, bags and wallets and clothing for men and women. It was previously owned by US buyout firm TPG, which struggled to turn it around after years of losses. When a unit of JAB acquired Bally in 2008 it had more than 400 million Swiss francs ($411 million) in annual sales.
By Vinicy Chan, Thomas Buckley and Aaron Kirchfeld; editors: Ben Scent, Timonthy Sifert and Andrew Monahan.
After three days of inspiring talks, guests closed out BoF’s gathering for big thinkers with a black tie gala followed by an intimate performance from Rita Ora — guest starring Billy Porter.
Photographer Misan Harriman, artists Rita Ora and Billy Porter and designer Diane von Furstenberg shared their experiences translating pain into art and impact.
Designers Jonathan Anderson and Diane von Furstenberg, actor-filmmaker Dan Levy, Uniqlo’s John C Jay and others spoke about the state of creation in an age of artificial intelligence and corporate mediocrity.
Generative AI is already changing fields such as design and marketing, and while it presents a number of very real threats, it also holds potential benefits for all of humanity.