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.
Chico’s FAS will be taken private by Sycamore Partners for $938.1 million in an all-cash deal, the apparel retailer said on Thursday, sending its shares surging 63 percent in premarket trading.
Shareholders of Chico’s will receive $7.60 per share, representing a 65 percent premium to the stock’s last close.
Sycamore is known to bet on retail and consumer investments and has a stake in department store operator Belk, discount retailer Dollar Express and mall and web-based speciality retailer Hot Topic.
The private equity firm has been trying to acquire Florida-based Chico’s since 2015 after it failed to secure acceptable financing terms for its bid.
ADVERTISEMENT
In 2019, Sycamore had offered $407.8 million, which was eventually lowered to $350 million after Chico’s financial performance worsened, but the deal was rejected by its shareholders.
The retailer has also been a target for activist investor Barington Capital Group, which had in 2021 pushed the company to explore strategic options for its brands amid a slump in its stock price.
The 40-year-old women’s focused retailer, with about 1,200 stores in the US, reported slowing sales in the latest quarterly results in June, hurt by inflation and store closures.
“Through this investment, we are gaining... flexibility to fuel the growth of our... three brands Chico’s, White House Black Market and Soma,” Chico’s chief executive officer Molly Langenstein said.
The company’s board has approved the deal, which is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2024.
By Savyata Mishra; Editors: Sriraj Kalluvila and Arun Koyyur
Learn more:
Report: Private Equity Firm Sycamore Weighs Bid for Ted Baker
US private equity firm Sycamore Partners is weighing a takeover bid for the British fashion retailer Ted Baker, Sky News reported on Thursday.
The online fashion retailer plans to update China’s securities regulator on the change of the initial public offering venue and file with the London Stock Exchange as soon as this month, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
The company, under siege from Arkhouse Management Co. and Brigade Capital Management, doesn’t need the activists when it can be its own, writes Andrea Felsted.
As the German sportswear giant taps surging demand for its Samba and Gazelle sneakers, it’s also taking steps to spread its bets ahead of peak interest.
A profitable, multi-trillion dollar fashion industry populated with brands that generate minimal economic and environmental waste is within our reach, argues Lawrence Lenihan.