Advent acquires women's innerwear brand Enamor

The transaction is Advent's eighth investment in India in past four years and its fourth in consumer goods sector during the same period.

Founded in 2001 as a joint venture with Barbara of France, Enamor offers a high quality range of lingerie, sportswear and athleisure wear. The company has 20 exclusive brand outlets and over 4,500 points of sale nationwide, predominantly located in larger cities, as well as a strong online presence and e-commerce business.

"Enamor is a market leader in a dynamic segment with significant growth potential and a strong management team who will continue to lead the business," said Vinod Padikkal, a director at Advent International. "We are excited to work with the team to help take the brand to the next level."

"Women's lingerie in India is a high-growth market, with only a few strong brands in operation. As lingerie sales increase alongside disposable income, Enamor, one of the market's leading players, is strongly positioned to benefit from these trends. We look forward to working with a global investor such as Advent, who will bring significant expertise and resources to help grow our business faster," said Shekhar Tewari, CEO of Enamor.

Advent International has been investing in India since 2007 and opened its Mumbai office in 2009. Over the past 12 years, the firm has deployed more than $1 billion in 10 companies with headquarters or operations in India across sectors such as consumer products, financial services, healthcare, industrial and technology. Recent investments include DFM Foods, a leading producer of packaged snack foods; Aditya Birla Capital, the holding company for the financial services businesses of Aditya Birla Group; Manjushree Technopack, India's largest provider of rigid plastic packaging solutions; Dixcy Textiles, a leading innerwear brand; ASK Group, a leading wealth and investment management business; Quest, a global engineering solutions provider; and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, India's No 1 supplier of consumer electrical goods and lighting.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (PC)