Verdane VII portfolio company Babyshop acquires Babyshop Norway
Stockholm/Oslo — Babyshop.com, the leading children’s e-commerce retailer in the Nordics has acquired Norwegian premium retail chain Babyshop. Together with AlexandAlexa.com, which Babyshop.com acquired in November 2014, the award winning retailers have a leading market position within the children’s premium fashion and product segment.
The Babyshop Group, which includes Babyshop.com, Babyshop Norway, AlexandAlexa.com and Oiidesign.se has annual run rate sales of €70 million, 2.5 million website visitors per month and over 500 000 retail customers per year.
Marcus Tagesson, Co-Founder of Babyshop, says, “The acquisition of Babyshop Norway will strengthen our leading position in the market and we are very happy to take the lead in consolidating the children’s premium segment. Together we will have a strong customer proposition, a great brand portfolio and the scale necessary to unlock value in our key markets.”
Babyshop.com was established eight years ago by Marcus and Linn Tagesson with a vision of building the best online kids store in the Nordics. Today Babyshop is a leading player in the global market and has a flagship store in Stockholm, Sweden. The company has won awards including ‘The Year’s E-commerce Award’ at the Nordic E-commerce Summit in 2011 and ‘The Best Retailer for Children’s Products’ at the Habit Fashion Awards in 2012. Babyshop is backed by Nordic private equity fund Verdane Capital VII.
Daniel Ahlstrand at Verdane Capital Advisors, comments, “Verdane Capital VII has backed Babyshop since 2010 and we are thoroughly impressed with the achievements over the past few years. Annual revenues have grown from €4 million in 2012 to the current run rate of €70 million. Babyshop Norway complements Babyshop’s current footprint, so just like in the AlexandAlexa.com acquisition, there is a compelling business logic.”
The acquisition of Babyshop Norway will strengthen our leading position in the market and we are very happy to take the lead in consolidating the children’s premium segment. Together we will have a strong customer proposition, a great brand portfolio and the scale necessary to unlock value in our key markets.
About Babyshop AS
Babyshop AS was established in 1992 but its roots date back to the 1960s at which time the Floberg family started to sell strollers and other baby gear. With a product assortment from well known brands, knowledgeable staff and a high service level, the company has built one of the strongest brands on the market. Today the company operates 15 multi-channel stores throughout the country with over 450 000 customers.
