Samsonite Brand Develops Market To Acquire French Luggage Brand Lipault

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< p > April 1st after the Hong Kong stock exchange, Samsonite SamsoniteInternationalSA International Limited announced that it would spend 20 million euros on the acquisition of the French luggage brand Lipault.

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< p > it is reported that the acquisition of a href= "http://sjfzxm.com/news/index_s.asp" > Samsonite < /a > has entered into a paction agreement with the subsidiary company SamsoniteEuropeNV and Lipault affiliated DistriBagages and LicencesetD veloppements of Belgium.

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Zhou Ting, President of the luxury goods expert and Research Institute of wealth quality, told reporters that for Samsonite, it has become increasingly difficult to rely solely on a single brand to support its professional development. If it does not perform well in the market, it will be a road of change for Samsonite to make a diversified acquisition.

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< p > < strong > acquisition is conducive to the development of market < /strong > /p >

< p > Samsonite believes that the acquisition of Lipault will help attract the female consumers of "a href=" http://sjfzxm.com/news/index_s.asp "fashion" /a through its distinctive style and bright colors in Paris.

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< p > announcement said Lipault net sales for the 2013 fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 was 6 million 500 thousand euros, an increase of 25% over the previous year, of which 95% of the revenue came from the French local market.

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< p > Lipault currently only has three self operated stores in Paris, France, and is sold in France through department stores and suitcase store channels, and sold through agents in North America, Middle East, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

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Xiong Xiaokun, a light industry researcher at CIC, believes that as a world-renowned bag brand, Samsonite has consistently adhered to a global and diversified development strategy. This acquisition can help Samsonite grow its lineup, enhance its profitability and expand its market in France. P

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< p > "as a professional brand of suitcase, Samsonite can only be considered as a middle end brand from its brand positioning.

At present, the brand is facing a very big market challenge.

Zhou Ting said that in addition to squeezing the market from luxury brand bags, Samsonite has to face up to a wide range of luxury car brands. The luxury car brand touches on the areas involved in suitcases, compared with Samsonite's advantages in positioning, customer resources and after sales channels.

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< p > < strong > in the future or will be in China M & amp; < /strong > /p >

< p > last summer, Samsonite CEO TimothyParker said it would expand its product category through acquisitions.

He claimed that the group has not yet entered the market of handbags and low-end suitcases, and the market share of three products, such as outdoor, business and leisure, is also small. Therefore, we must promote diversified product layout.

However, he also emphasized that the group will not carry out the "a href=" http://sjfzxm.com/news/index_s.asp "acquisition" /a in the luxury sector.

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< p > to this, Xiong Xiaokun said, because the trend of luxury industry is not ideal, the industry has been declining in recent two years, the luxury giants have taken the strategic measures of shrinking defense. Samsonite is not wise to take part in the luxury sector. The company's business will be more stable, the business will expand more smoothly and the risk control will be more in place. It shows that Samsonite is very clear about its positioning and will not expand blindly.

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< p > however, Zhou Ting still optimistic about luxury goods.

She pointed out that "no involvement in the luxury sector is just a statement of Samsonite, because it is not the best time to buy luxury goods.

And the diversity and personalization of consumers will enable Samsonite to buy some small brands with unique design advantages.

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In the early December of last year, the Financial Times reported that the Chinese market, P, claims that "there are more brands in China and even Asia, which may be interesting." TimothyParker

I can imagine that the company will complete the first M & a paction in China in the next three or four years.

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< p > although TimothyParker did not disclose Samsonite's potential takeover targets, Zhou Ting said that China is Samsonite's largest market. Because of the cost considerations and the overall development strategy of the industry chain, it is believed that its acquisition in China is not brand but capacity.

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< p > as of December 31, 2013, Samsonite's net profit increased by 18.6% in fiscal 2013, rising from $148 million 400 thousand in fiscal 2012 to US $176 million 100 thousand, less than 188 million 200 thousand US dollars in the market forecast.

Net sales for the first time exceeded $2 billion for the first time, reaching $2 billion 37 million 800 thousand, an increase of 15% over the previous year.

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< p > however, Samsonite did not give the expected performance in fiscal year 2014, and analysts predict that sales growth this year and next year will drop to 11%.

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