Portfolio
Nature of Business
Founded in 1994, Agent Provocateur has firmly established itself as a pre-eminent player in the luxury lingerie market. The brand is known for its edgy yet fun image and has very high levels of recognition and customer loyalty.
Today, Agent Provocateur products can be found in stores in 23 countries, across Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Russia, as well as on www.agentprovocateur.com. In addition to lingerie, the company has launched a highly successful range of fragrances and has added swimwear and bedding to its existing product lines. Looking forward, significant further growth is expected from broadening the store footprint across the world.
Investment Overview
3i’s consumer sector team has a wealth of experience of investing in luxury brands and international businesses. We had followed the enormous success of Agent Provocateur for some time and in 2007 acquired a majority stake in the business alongside management. We have further strengthened the management team since our investment by introducing new skills and experience to the team, including the appointment of Chris Woodhouse as non-executive Chairman.
With 3i’s extensive network and knowledge of the retail market, we have helped Agent Provocateur to develop its expansion plans and and are actively supporting an international roll-out of stores in key cities, including introducing the management team to potential franchise partners in a number of new geographies. We have also worked closely with the business on developing its e-commerce channel to maximise revenue growth from the growth of online shopping, The success of Agent Provocateur’s fragrances has demonstrated the potential for extending the brand beyond the lingerie offering.
Agent Provocateur is continuing to grow very strongly through the economic downturn, reflecting the quality of the product offering and the distinctive nature of the brand.
