Majority Shareholder Love Shifting Coffee British Shoes Brand Zhou Yangjie Looking for Buyers

The board of Jimmy Choo, a high-end British footwear brand, set out to find a buyer for the red carpet star.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 24th that the Zhou Yangjie brand is valued at about 700 million pounds ($890 million). The brand could attract buyers from China, the Middle East and Russia, the report quoted analysts as saying.

The idea of selling the Zhou Yangjie brand is supported by its majority shareholder, JAB Holdings. Labelux, a German company owned by JAB, acquired the Zhou Yangjie brand from Towerbrook Capital, a global investment manager, in 2011. Labelux also owns Bally, a high-end Swiss footwear brand.

BBC reported that JAB is also preparing to sell the Bali brand.

The Zhou Yangjie brand was founded in 1996 by Malaysian-born designer Zhou Yangjie and Tamara Mellon, a former editor of Fashion magazine. Zhou Yangjie once made shoes for fashion leaders such as the late former British Princess Diana.

When Zhou Yangjie's brand first fell into the hands of private equity in 2001, Zhou Yangjie himself sold all his shares. In 2007, Towerbrook bought 83 per cent of the Zhou Yangjie brand for 180 million pounds ($230 million), while Mellon retained its 17 per cent stake.

The Zhou Yangjie brand was listed in London in 2014.

[major shareholder emotion shift Coffee]

JAB, which owns 68 per cent of Mr Zhou, said it had not received any offer.

In the past few years, Zhou Yangjie has set up more than 150 stores around the world, and the focus has gradually shifted to men's shoes. Today, its product line expands to a wide range of luxury goods, including handbags and sunglasses.

However, Zhou Yangjie's sales growth shrank to 2 per cent in 2016, according to HSBC. The figure was 7 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent in 2014.

After the news of Zhou Yangjie's intention to sell, its share price hit a record high, closing up 10.68%.

As for JAB, it now seems to be more interested in coffee than in hating the sky.

Just a few weeks ago, JAB bought Panella, an American bakery chain, for $7.5 billion. In addition, JAB has acquired controlling stakes in the Craig Green Mountain Coffee Company, the Dutch Douway Egberts Coffee Company and the American KK doughnut chain.