Japenese takeover could be imminent for retailer Cath Kidston
BAG, fashion and wallpaper retailer Cath Kidston may face a takeover, with suitors including Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo.
US private equity firm TA Associates is said to be in talks with a small number of overseas bidders about selling Kidston, known for its colourful floral prints.
Potential buyers are understood to include Uniqlo as well as L Capital, the buyout group backed by French luxury goods group LVMH.
The group is thought likely to fetch about £250million and is keen to expand further overseas.
Kidston set up the business in a small shop in Holland Park, London, in 1993 and expanded it in the UK and overseas before TA bought a majority stake in 2010. It opened its first shop in Japan in 2006.