Kuala Lumpur-headquartered private equity firm Navis Capital Partners has completed an investment in Christian Liaigre Group, a well-known French ultra-luxury furniture brand. Other investors who joined the round include Singapore-based lifestyle and healthcare investment holding company Symphony International Holdings Limited, and Chanintr Living, a Thai-based furniture retailer, which operates Liaigre showrooms in Asia, on a wholly-owned and joint venture basis.

Post-completion, the Liaigre showrooms in Asia will be reorganised directly under the Liaigre holding company, and Chanintr Living will become a shareholder in the enlarged group, a statement read. This transaction enables the reorganisation of the Asian and Rest-of-World activities of Liaigre under one single company and provides new capital for the next stage of growth, Navis said. The plan is to further develop showrooms, and design activities in key Asian cities, including Hong Kong, China, Taipei, Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul in addition to a more modest expansion in Europe and North America. Renowned for its minimalistic and discreetly luxurious design style, Liaigre has a strong intellectual property portfolio, with a huge archive of proprietary furniture and lighting designs. Liaigre retails a range of bespoke furniture, lighting, fabric, leather and accessories in a network of 26 showrooms in 11 countries across Europe, the US and Asia, In addition, Liaigre undertakes exclusive interior architecture projects for select hotels, restaurants, yachts and private residences.

Christophe Caillaud, president of Liaigre, said: “We are delighted to have concluded a transaction with Navis, Symphony and Chanintr Living and look forward to great success with their backing. Their presence and relationships in Asia are highly complementary to our growth plans.” Navis managing partner, Nicholas Bloy, said: “Liaigre is an exclusive and well-established company with strong brand equity, great locations and superior store economics compared to peers. We have known and admired Liaigre and the principals of Symphony and Chanintr Living for many years, and we now look forward to working with our partners to further strengthen and institutionalize the capabilities of the company as it embarks on the next exciting phase of growth in Asia.”

(Source: chinamoneynetwork.com)