Tom Tailor: Chinese giant Fosun becomes largest shareholder

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Aug 1, 2014

The Chinese group Fosun, which already has investments in the respectively Greek, American and Italian companies Folli Follie, Saint John and Caruso, has now has added Tom Tailor Holding AG to the list.

In contrast to its investments in other fashion brands and retailers, this time the purchase involves a Europe-based company that is focused on the mid-range segment with nearly a billion euros in turnover.

Through its Portuguese subsidiary, the insurance company Companhia de Seguros Fidelidade, Fosun has taken over a 23.16% stake in the Hamburg holding company currently owned by Versorgungs- und Förderungsstiftung.

The latter, which is based in Lichtenstein, used to hold 100% of Bonita, which was sold to Tom Tailor in 2012. "Fosun is committed to long-term investments and has in-depth knowledge of a range of different international markets," commented Dieter Holzer, chairman of Tom Tailor Holding.

Significantly, Fosun will become the largest shareholder. The second largest shareholder of the company, which is listed on the Paris Bourse, is founder Uwe Schöder, who only holds a 5.02% stake, followed by Morgan Finance with 4.77% and finally the company’s management with 1.36%. The rest is held publicly.

"Fosun will leverage its own resources and competitive advantages to support Tom Tailor bring its brand to more Chinese consumers as well as expanding in the Chinese market. This investment is an important step in Fosun’s strategy to take advantage of China’s dynamic growth with global resources," said Qunbin Wang, chairman of Fosun, in the company’s financial statement.

In 2013, Tom Tailor Holding recorded a 907.2 million euro-turnover, 350.7 million of which was generated by Bonita. It aims for 950 million this year.