The French clothing group SMCP is about to undergo a fundamental change in its shareholder structure. On Wednesday it was announced that a stake package of 37 percent would soon come onto the market. Subsequently, the parent company of the Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot and De Fursac brands could even get a new owner.
The block of shares is for sale because the SMCP owner European Topsoho S.à.rl, which belongs to the Chinese group Shandong Ruyi Technology Group, was no longer able to service a convertible bond from the clothing group in 2021. Since then, the shares used as security have been controlled by the creditor consortium GLAS SAS, which includes well-known financial investors such as Blackrock and Carlyle. They appointed Alastair Beveridge and Daniel Imison from the management consultancy Alix Partners UK LLP as trustees, who, after various legal disputes with Topsoho, have now been commissioned to initiate the sales process.
According to the trustees, the sale of the shares is to be completed in two steps. It is currently unclear whether the shares will be sold in individual tranches to various interested parties or as an overall package to a single investor. Accordingly, it is not yet foreseeable whether the transaction could lead to a takeover bid for SMCP.