Paris
based MenInvest, the leading European men’s fashion group covering e-commerce
and media established by Marc Menase in 2010, backed by investors AXA Private
Equity, Partech International, 123 Venture and Orkos Capital announces the
acquisition of oki-ni.com, the UK based on-line menswear retailer.
Founded
in 2001 by Ben Banks, Gino Da’Prato, Charles Perez and Dominique Signoret,
oki-ni.com sells an edited selection of world famous, tightly distributed
brands, including Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Comme Des Garcons, Kenzo, Raf
Simons and Maison Martin Margiela. With over 500K unique visitors a month,
oki-ni.com ships to over 75 countries, with 40 per cent of sales coming from the
UK, followed by revenue from the US, Japan and Germany.
Selling
super premium menswear brands, oki-ni.com is the cutting edge addition to the
MenInvest retail group led by Menlook.com selling over 250 brands of apparel,
footwear and accessories, including private label.
This
will add to the existing MenInvest e-commerce portfolio, which sees 1.5 million
unique visitors per month across 60 countries.
Marc
Menase says: ‘I am very proud of this acquisition as it reflects the
entrepreneurial values of MenInvest. It is a key piece of our growth strategy to
reach €100 million revenue by 2016 and become the global on-line men’s
fashion destination.’
oki-ni.com
will become the creative and luxury window for menlook.com. A strong investment
in product offer, service and marketing will be executed.
A
key element of the acquisition is the elevation and continued support of two of
the co-founders of oki-ni.com, Ben Banks and Charles Perez as shareholders and
advisors of the MenInvest Group.
Charles
Perez says: ‘Online retailing specifically for menswear is still a new sector,
with huge potential for growth. This strategic alliance puts us in the best
position to take advantage of the huge opportunities available in the global
menswear fashion market.’
MenInvest
will retain the oki-ni.com London team and office, leveraging their experience
and image built up over the last decade thereby providing complimentary and
unique services to the Paris office.
About
MenInvest
Launched
in 2010, MenInvest has successfully established itself as a leading menswear
e-commerce and media group, with over 10 million unique visitors (1)
to its online editorial and shopping destinations every month. The MenInvest
group represents over 300 partner brands as well as offering three private
labels of its own, and presents a range of more than 10,000 products to a very
international audience.
Menlook.com,
the group’s flagship online destination, offers men across the globe access to
its extensive and carefully curated selection of men’s clothing, footwear and
accessories, with delivery to over 80 countries world-wide. Timefy.com is
dedicated to watches of modern design and impeccable quality, while
SaintSens.com is the pioneer of the bespoke shirt online, providing clients with
high-end French tailoring.
Their premier positioning has been established through the editorial emphasis of their online offering, their out-standing product and brand presentation, and their impeccable customer care.
Finally,
The Menlook Tribune brings together the best of the group’s digital content. It
offers a real editorial experience geared towards men, covering a wide range of
topics from fashion to hi-tech, culture and cars to travel and food, to capture
the very essence of the masculine lifestyle. Available online, as an iPad /
iPhone application and as a newspaper, The Menlook Tribune is available through
a very selective distribution network, such as the Four Seasons, Air France
lounges and Eurostar.
MenInvest
has raised more than 11M€ over the last three years to develop its project and
counts AXA Private Equity, Partech International, Orkos Capital and 123Venture
as shareholders.
(1) Nielsen/NetRatings source, March 2013