DC Advisory advised 3i on the sale of amor to Gilde Buy Out Partners

DC Advisory acted as exclusive M&A and Debt advisor to 3i Group plc (“3i”) on the sale of its portfolio company amor Group (“amor” or “the Company”) to funds advised by Gilde Buy Out Partners (“Gilde”). amor is the leading full-service system provider for precious jewellery. With its core brand “amor”, the Company is the German market leader for affordable precious jewellery.

The Company offers more than 4,500 SKUs and manages more than 2,900 point of sales across Europe and selected countries globally. Key distribution channels include department stores, jewellery stores, hypermarkets and own retail kiosks. amor is headquartered near Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and has c. 400 employees.

Under 3i ownership, amor established additional own jewellery concepts and increased its international footprint throughout Europe as well as North America, Asia and Australia. Gilde, together with the existing management, will continue this strategy by intensifying relationships with key customers and drive further internationalization.

Stefan Jaecker, CEO of DC Advisory, said: “amor’s management team around CEO Marcus Hoffmann, together with the support of its shareholders, has done a tremendous job in strengthening the Company and preparing it for further growth. I have no doubt that amor will continue its successful path towards its highly attractive growth prospects under the new ownership of Gilde.

Peter Wirtz, Partner and Managing Director of 3i Germany commented: “DC Advisory managed a tight and highly competitive M&A and financing process with a very successful outcome for 3i, resulting in a 2.5x return on the sale”. This is the fourth transaction of DC Advisory Germany in 2016 within the consumer goods and retail sector. The transaction is subject to approval of the relevant competition authorities.