Livingstone advises Inspecs Group plc on its acquisition of Ego Eyewear

Livingstone has advised Inspecs Group plc (“Inspecs”) on the acquisition of Ego Eyewear. Livingstone served as the exclusive financial advisor to Inspecs. Terms of the transaction were undisclosed.

Ego is an eyewear design and licensing company that manufactures and distributes eyewear for premium fashion brands. The world-renowned design house is based in Stockholm and also has offices in London, Osaka, and Hong Kong. Brands marketed by Ego include Barbour, Liberty of London, Viktor & Rolf, Lyle & Scott, Henry Lloyd, and Joseph, as well as Scandinavian brands Ivana Helsinki, Valerie, and Day. Ego’s main sales channels are leading optician chains. The company is managed in the second generation by Ronald and Johanna Gezang, who are known for their innovative and creative designs. Ego’s strong brand portfolio will further complement Inspecs’ existing brand portfolio and expand the range, especially in Scandinavia.

Founded in the UK in 1988 by Robin Totterman, Inspecs is a multinational designer, manufacturer, and distributor of eyewear frames and lenses. The group produces a wide range of eyewear frames in the fields of optics, sunglasses, and safety lenses on branded and OEM basis. Inspecs is thus one of the few providers that can offer its customers (which include international opticians and retail chains as well as distributors and independent opticians) such a one-stop solution. The company’s sales network spans 80 countries and includes around 30,000 sales outlets, and it has offices in the UK, Portugal, Scandinavia, the US, and China, and manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, China, the UK, and Italy.

“We are very pleased with Livingstone’s continued support as we execute our M&A strategy,” said Chris Kay, CFO of Inspecs Plc. “Thanks to Livingstone’s comprehensive buy-side advice and support as well as industry expertise, we can keep our M&A pace high and thus realize two further transactions in parallel in two different jurisdictions in a very short time. ”

Michael Westhoven, Partner at Livingstone Düsseldorf, comments: “We are very pleased to support Inspecs in its further growth through M&A and to be part of the Inspecs success story.“