Investment fund 3i is optics chain Hans Anders’ new owner, buying it from two other investment firms, Alpha and Alpinvest.
200 million euro
3i will pay about 200 million euro to acquire the chain’s shares, but its management, led by CEO Remco Boerefijn, will also invest in the chain. “We want to keep growing in our existing markets and open new markets, either through our own means or through acquisitions. Both are an option for us”, 3i partner Robert Van Goethem said.
Alpha and Alpinvest will be glad to have found a buyer for Hans Anders, a chain they tried to sell in March 2016 and at the end of the year as well. Both interested buyers finally balked at the price, some 300 million euro at the time.
Expansion
3i has plenty of experience in the discount industry, as it is also Action and fitness chain Basic-Fit’s owner, both of which target the lower end of the market.
Hans Anders will continue its expansion plans, growing its store network from 456 stores (in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Sweden) to at least 475 by the end of the year. The chain added nine stores in Belgium last year and it expects to keep that pace this year as well.
It will remodel its current store network, with an increased focus on brand sales and not only its discount image.
