Cathay Capital Private Equity increases stake in company as it consolidates presence across the US, China, the Middle East and furthers development in Latam and Southeast Asia
May 09, 2023 – Two years after Cathay Capital’s initial investment, the perfume brand Juliette Has a Gun is reorganizing its shareholding structure around Cathay, which is increasing its stake, along with new investor Weinberg Capital Partners. With this support, the brand will consolidate its presence in key geographies in the US, China and the Middle-East, as well as further its development in Latin American and Southeast Asian perfume markets.
Juliette Has a Gun was launched in 2006 by Romano Ricci, joined shortly after by Antina Ricci, with the ambition to propose a disruptive approach to niche perfumery, focusing on women empowerment through beauty. “Juliette” is modern, strong-willed, romantic and irreverent: she uses fragrance as a silent weapon of affirmation and seduction.
The brand offers one-of-a-kind fragrances and distinctive signatures such as Ego Stratis, Magnolia Bliss, Vanilla Vibes, Pear Inc., Musc Invisible, but also Not a Perfume, its star fragrance. The brand also offers a range of home fragrances and personal care products such as candles, hand cream, and diffusers.
In the last four years, Juliette Has a Gun has experienced tremendous growth with an average of 40% a year and tripling turnover over the last two years to achieve €120m in retail sales value in 2022. Leveraging the investment and operational support of Cathay Capital, as well as its partnerships with Sephora in the USA and USHOPAL (one of Cathay Capital’s portfolio company) in China, the company has met its audience internationally and is now present in more than 50 countries through a network of c. 2,500 points of sale.
The successful partnership between Cathay Capital and Juliette Has a Gun is the result of extensive research conducted by the Cathay team in the consumer goods sector, where promising brands benefit fully from the support of Cathay’s ecosystem in terms of internationalization, digitization, and management of various stages of growth. The continuation of this collaboration is a symbol of mutual trust while illustrating Cathay Capital’s ability to support companies over the long term through its various investment vehicles.
Romano Ricci, Founder of Juliette has a gun: “Juliette has a gun gained significant audience over the last years, especially among young women who are now looking for more originality and a real quality experience to mark their singularity. Juliette has a gun’s clients identify themselves to our elegant, modern & feminist essence. We would like to thank the Cathay team for their continued support and trust and are delighted to pursue our collaboration, and warmly welcome Weinberg Capital Partners. We are convinced that their combined expertise will take the brand to the next stage.”
Edouard Moinet, Partner at Cathay Capital: “We have been very impressed with the transformation of Juliette has a gun over the last three years and the implication of its expert teams & management which have led them to a real success story. Juliette has a gun is the perfect example of a high-end international company fostered by the Cathay ecosystem. We are proud to remain part of their cross-border growth journey and believe the brand still has significant runway, which is why we are investing even more this time alongside Weinberg Capital Partners to accelerate their development even further.”
Philippe Klocanas, Partner at Weinberg Capital Partners: “We were seduced by the brand’s disruptive identity, which breaks the codes of the industry, as well as its ability to attract younger generations. Its traction in markets as competitive as China and the United States best illustrates its potential. We warmly thank Romano, Antina and Cathay for choosing us as their new partner and look very much forward to bringing our customer centric expertise to the brand.”
About Juliette has a gun
Founded in 2006 by Romano Ricci, great grandson of Nina Ricci, Juliette has a gun is a fast-growing niche fragrance brand. Juliette has a gun fragrances, including the iconic Not a Perfume, are currently distributed in over 50 countries through a network of over 2,500 exclusive, carefully selected retail outlets worldwide.
For more information: www.juliettehasagun.com.
About Cathay Capital
Cathay Capital is a global investment firm that supports companies at all stages of their development in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa. Helping to seize opportunities related to internationalization and sustainable transformation, Cathay is the partner of choice for companies that aspire to become leaders in their markets and make a positive impact. Its global platform connects people -investors, entrepreneurs, executive teams, and leading companies- across all continents to share the knowledge and tools to scale and reach new heights.
Founded in 2007 by Mingpo CAI and Edouard MOINET, with a strong entrepreneurial heritage, Cathay Capital now manages more than $5 billion in assets and has made more than 230 investments, leveraging its global ecosystem and local expertise in its offices in Paris, Munich, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Singapore.
For more information: www.cathaycapital.com.
Visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter @CathayCapital.
About Weinberg Capital Partners
Founded in 2005, Weinberg Capital Partners is an independent investment company historically active in buy-out capital, which expanded its field of intervention to real estate assets in 2008, and has been investing since 2015 in the capital of listed French SMEs/mid-caps as a minority shareholder with an active, friendly and long-term approach. In 2020, Weinberg Capital Partners added its capacity to invest in SMEs/mid-caps with a minority strategy focused on sustainable development issues, which offers extra-financial support known as impact, to better prepare companies for environmental and societal challenges. In 2023, Weinberg Capital Partners created a new fund, Eiréné, dedicated to the development of SMEs/mid-caps in the security and defense sector.
With €1,3 billion of assets under management, Weinberg Capital Partners is a significant player in the mid-market equity segment in France.
Weinberg Capital Partners is a signatory of the PRI, a member of the International Climate Initiative and an active responsible investor.
Weinberg Capital Partners supports Télémaque, an association for equal opportunities in education.
For more information: weinbergcapital.com.
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Other
Juliette has a gun was advised by investment bank Ohana & Co. and law firm Bredin Prat; Cathay Capital and Weinberg Capital Partners were advised by Hogan Lovells and Allen & Overy. Deloitte performed the financial vendor due diligence, and the legal, tax and social due diligence of the buyer. Banque Populaire du Nord acted as lender and arranger of the acquisition loan.
