London, UK (17/05/2022) – Parabellum Investments, the family office operating as a global private equity firm under the leadership of founder and CEO, Rami Cassis, has acquired the luxury fashion retailer, Hervia.
• Acquisition of Hervia marks Parabellum Investments’ entry into the luxury goods sector and a significant strategic addition to the current Parabellum Investments portfolio
• As part of the Parabellum Investments portfolio, Hervia’s future strategic objectives include plans to forge new partnerships with emerging designers in the UK, France, and Italy, exploring new segments such as childrenswear, and investing in the brand’s online platform
• Hervia was founded in 1993 by Oscar Pinto-Hervia, who retains a stake in the group and will remain group CEO
• Parabellum Investments is a family office operating as a global private equity firm under the leadership of founder and CEO, Rami Cassis
The acquisition marks a major diversification of the existing Parabellum Investments’ portfolio which has previously focused on companies in the business-to-business sector. It also marks Parabellum Investments’ entry into the luxury goods market and recognises the strong future growth potential of the UK’s fashion sector.
As part of the Parabellum Investments portfolio, future strategic objectives for Hervia include plans to forge new partnerships with emerging designers in the UK, France, and Italy, and exploring new segments such as childrenswear. There are also plans to further strengthen the customer experience for Hervia’s clients by investing in the brand’s online platform.
Hervia is an established luxury fashion e-tailer with an extensive customer base across the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as a flagship store, Hervia Bazaar, in Manchester.
It sells clothing, jewellery, and accessories from designers such as Raf Simons, Maison Margiela, Rick Owens, and Yohji Yamamoto. It was the first retailer to stock debut collections from Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang, and Hussein Chalayan, among others, and will continue its strong heritage of finding and supporting the next generation of talent in the fashion industry.
Rami Cassis, founder and CEO of Parabellum Investments, said: “Hervia has a rich legacy as a brand, strong foundations as a business and is perfectly positioned to benefit from the future growth projections of the UK fashion market.
As a direct-to-consumer business, it marks a significant addition to Parabellum Investments’ portfolio, which has previously concentrated on the business-to-business sector. I look forward to investing in the business from top to bottom, including improving the customer experience, entering new segments of the market, and adding to an already excellent team.”
Hervia was founded in 1993 by Oscar Pinto-Hervia, who retains a stake in the group and will remain group CEO.
Alongside Hervia’s Manchester store and its online platform, the deal also includes the operation of the Adidas Y-3 flagship store in Mayfair, London, which sells the largest selection of Y-3 products to the UK market.
Rami Cassis, founder and CEO of Parabellum Investments, continued: “Oscar Pinto-Hervia has created an amazing business and has a natural eye for fledgling industry talent, and he’ll remain a core part of Hervia’s DNA. His vision around sourcing and encouraging young British designers will help us continue discovering the best emerging designers and up-and-coming brands to partner with.”
Oscar Pinto-Hervia, CEO of Hervia, said: “It’s an exciting time for Hervia as we look to onboard fresh, new brands and open additional stores. I was struck by Rami’s enthusiasm and his growth plans for Hervia align with our ambitious vision for the company. His strong track record of leading and managing companies ensures he’s a great fit to take us forward into the next phase of expansion.”
ENDS
About Parabellum Investments
Parabellum Investments is a family office operating as a global private equity firm, deploying its own capital to acquire companies which can be located anywhere in the world. Under the leadership of founder and CEO, Rami Cassis, Parabellum Investments has a strong track record of growing companies operating within various sectors, including enterprise software, business & IT services, and life sciences.
Further information can be found at www.parabelluminvestments.com
About Rami Cassis
Rami has a long pedigree of leading companies ranging from large, multinational corporates to lower mid-market firms. He has led several international complex transactions, always acting as the principal. Although he will sometimes step in as interim CEO, he usually acts as Executive Chairman.
Before he started Parabellum Investments, Rami held a number of leadership positions with corporations, including CEO, COO and Chairman. Rami began his career with Schlumberger, spending 10 years starting as an operating engineer before holding a succession of line management roles. Rami then had a brief consulting career with KPMG before returning to line management with Atos, where he was Managing Director for the firm in the UK.
Rami holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering (Hons) and Pure and Applied Mathematics, both gained at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, where he was also awarded the university medal for the best undergraduate engineering thesis.
Further information can be found at www.ramicassis.com
