Balibaris: Experienced Capital sells its shares, a French family office joins the capital
The brand, co-founded in 2010 and still chaired by Paul Szczerba, which in fifteen years has become a premium men's ready-to-wear network, has announced the arrival of a French family office to its capital, without however disclosing its name or the new balance.
At the time of Experienced Capital's arrival, the brand had sales of 3.5 million euros and a dozen points of sale. Since then, Balibaris has become a fixture on the men's market in France. The company, which also counted Audacia and LO Capital among its minority shareholders, had passed the €50 million sales milestone by 2023, when it counted some 80 points of sale, including a dozen corners.
"I would like to thank ECP for its contribution to the structuring of Balibaris. Their support has been decisive in increasing our reach and setting the brand on the path to success that it is today," said founder, Paul Szczerba.
"I'm delighted to be starting this new chapter. This partnership is an exceptional opportunity to accelerate our long-term vision based on the founding values built by Balibaris."
The brand, present in the French department store networks Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, claims to have continued its growth since 2023, notably via a 40% increase in digital sales in the last financial year, and states that it has 65 points of sale overall.
The company's stated ambition is to consolidate its digital growth and expand into export markets, where it has four outlets in London and one in Brussels. Headed by Hortense Verspyck for the past two years, who has linked the brand to its original inspiration - classic cinema - the brand aims to attract new European customers. Several organizational elements have also evolved in recent months, with investments in e-commerce services and logistics.
The men's brand was one of the first investments made by the fund founded by former SMCP directors Emmanuel Pradère, Frédéric Biousse and Elie Kouby.
In recent years, Experienced Capital has sold its stakes in several brands, including Jimmy Fairly, Soeur and Sessun. It retains stakes in Le Slip Français and Figaret, in the fashion sector, and in Oh My Cream and L:A Bruket, in the beauty sector. It has also invested in leisure, decoration, and catering.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
How Trump adapts his tariff threats for economic, diplomatic and ideological ends
Donald Trump added the European Union to his list of countries facing the threat of new customs duties on Saturday, July 12. In a message posted on Truth Social, his private social network which has become the primary communication channel for the White House, the US president stated that products imported from the European Union would be subject to a 30% surcharge if no agreement is reached that meets his expectations – specifically, a "complete open" European market for American goods. On July 7, Trump acknowledged that his commercial threats had yet to yield results and, by executive order, postponed the deadline for implementing the unilateral tariff increases – originally announced on April 2 and already delayed once – to August 1. These repeated delays have earned the US president an unflattering acronym: TACO, for Trump Always Chickens Out. Markets, for their part, were largely unmoved when the White House occupant again brandished the threat of tariff hikes in letters sent to major US trading partners, including South Korea and Japan, on July 8. After Canada on July 10, Mexico was the next recipient of these messages posted on Truth Social on Saturday. While the United States' northern neighbor was threatened with a 35% increase in import taxes, a 30% hike was directed at its southern partner. In both cases, the president mixed often questionable economic arguments with considerations unrelated to trade.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Slovakia aims for EU deal on ending Russian gas imports by Tuesday
Slovakia is seeking to reach a deal with European partners involving Russian gas supplies by Tuesday in order to approve a new package of EU sanctions on Russia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday. He told journalists in Bratislava he wants "to resolve this by Tuesday because tensions are rising on all sides." So far, Slovakia has maintained its veto on the 18th sanctions package to be implemented in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Bratislava has blocked the package over concerns over a proposed phase-out of all Russian fossil fuels by 2028, fearing it could damage the country's economic interests. Slovakia gets most of its gas from Russia and holds a long-term contract with Russia's Gazprom that runs through 2034. Fico wants legal guarantees should Gazprom claim a potential breach of contract. "We need to win something in this fight, though it will not be a 100-0 result," Fico added on Saturday, according to Reuters. He noted that he had spoken with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the issue, emphasising that a Slovakia would lift its veto if a deal is reached on the gas ban. The latest sanctions package, unveiled on Tuesday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative Kaja Kallas, blacklists an additional 22 Russian banks and extends the ban on transactions to entities based outside the country that contribute to the circumvention of sanctions. The Russian Direct Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund with an estimated capital of $10 billion (€8.75 billion), is targeted. It also features a ban on the direct or indirect use of the Nord Stream pipelines that connect Russia and Germany. The underwater pipelines are today non-operational, and Berlin has ruled out the prospect of restarting gas transit after the war ends.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
US announces new 30% tariff rate, EU ready to 'safeguard EU interests'
US President Donald Trump intends to raise tariffs on European products to 30% starting 1 August, he wrote in a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on his social media platform Truth Social. He added that this rate could increase further if the European Union decided to retaliate, stating that the number is "far less than what is needed to eliminate the Trade Deficit disparity." The European Commission responded with a written statement, saying "we remain ready to continue working towards an agreement by August 1," adding that "at the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required." "Goods transshipped to evade a higher Tariff" will also face a higher rate, he added. He also said in the letter that the US trade deficit was a national security threat. 'We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,' Trump wrote. 'Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.' He said that approvals to "build or manufacture" products within the US would occur "within a matter of weeks," adding that European companies who decided to do so would not face no tariffs. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the EU and US, and as the pause on Trump's so-called 20% "reciprocal tariffs" nears its end on 1 August. Trump is in the midst of an announcement blitz of new tariffs with allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a US economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades. His administration has started to send out letters to trading partners, notifying them of the duties that will be applied to their US exports. With Saturday's letters, Trump has now issued tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union.
