Remo Ruffini has found a new partner in Bernard Arnault’s LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Ruffini teamed with LVMH on Thursday, forging a deal that will help him strengthen his position as Moncler’s largest shareholder.
LVMH purchased a 10 percent stake in Double R, the investment vehicle that is controlled by Ruffini and holds his 15.8 percent stake in Moncler.
The luxury outerwear brand, which went public in 2013, currently has a market capitalization of 14.2 billion euros, valuing Ruffini’s shares at about 2.2 billion euros.
But that stake is set to rise.
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Under the terms of the deal, revealed late Thursday, Double R will buy shares of Moncler over the next 18 months, boosting its stake to a maximum of 18.5 percent. LVMH will be providing the funding for those purchases and, in the process, will increase its investment in Double R up to a maximum of roughly 22 percent.
Before the deal was revealed, shares of Moncler rose 6.6 percent to 52.06 euros on the Milan stock exchange, where the shares of the company traded at over 70 euros in March.
Moncler has shown strength this year so far. In the first half, earnings increased 24.3 percent to 180.7 million euros while revenues rose 8 percent to 1.23 billion euros.
Ruffini will continue “to define and drive Moncler Group’s plans for future development and, as chairman and [chief executive officer], will remain fully committed to Moncler Group’s success,” according to LVMH, which said it would be a “stable long-term minority shareholder of Double R.”
LVMH will get the right to appoint two members to the board of Double R and one member to the board of Moncler.
“This partnership reinforces Double R’s position in Moncler and provides the stability needed to execute my vision for the future,” Ruffini said. “I have long admired Bernard Arnault’s entrepreneurial spirit and unique understanding of the luxury sector, and I am delighted he so clearly supports my long-term ambitions for our group’s extraordinary brands.”
For his part, Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, said: “Moncler has been one of the most significant entrepreneurial success stories in the industry over the past 20 years. Remo Ruffini’s vision and leadership are remarkable and I am delighted to invest in his holding company to reinforce his position as leading shareholder on Moncler and support the independence of the Moncler Group.”
This isn’t the first time Arnault has taken a friendly stake in an Italian luxury brand.
In 2021, Diego Della Valle cut a deal that let LVMH increase its stake in Tod’s to 10 percent. This year, Tod’s went private with the help of the LVMH-backed private equity firm L Catterton.
LVMH is a giant — in luxury goods, spirits and dealmaking.
With a market capitalization of more than 338 billion euros, it has plenty of financial heft to chase acquisition targets and expand on its portfolio, which already includes more than 75 brands, from Louis Vuitton and Dior to Sephora and Hublot.
The company has been active on the deal front and made a flurry of fashion transactions in 2021, buying New York jeweler Tiffany & Co. for $15.8 billion, taking majority ownership of the late Virgil Abloh’s Off-White LLC and buying full control of Emilio Pucci.
LVMH, which had a high-profile summer as the most prominent sponsor of the Olympic Games in Paris, has been navigating a tricky luxury landscape lately.
In July, the firm said first-half profits took a hit as Chinese consumers decided to spend their money in Japan and shoppers around the world pulled back on luxury goodies.
Net profits fell 14 percent to 7.27 billion euros in the first six months of 2024. Revenues dipped 1 percent, but LVMH said it plans to keep spending on its businesses and building for the long term.
