Estee Lauder / Tom Ford Deal Rationale
Estee Lauder recently agreed to acquire Tom Ford for $2.8B, with PWP and GS advising Estee Lauder and Tom Ford, respectively (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-1…). It seems like the majority of the deal's rationale was for Estee Lauder to acquire Tom Ford's fast-growing beauty business, which has an especially strong presence in China, the largest market. However, would love to hear some thoughts from C&R bankers on whether the acquisition really worth $2.8B given that Estee Lauder already has a licensing agreement with Tom Ford and that Estee Lauder would also be acquiring Tom Ford's fashion apparel business, which Estee Lauder has no experience in.
Personally think it makes sense. Tom Ford has a really strong growth trajectory in Asia, especially with its beauty business, and it makes sense for Estee Lauder to acquire a high-growth, higher-end brand with strong market presence into its portfolio. It's a fair point that Estee Lauder has no experience outside the beauty products industry, but it should be noted that Tom Ford's apparel business makes up a pretty small portion of its revenues so it's not like an especially large portion of the purchase price is at risk for value destruction in the case that Estee Lauder messes up Tom Ford's apparel business.
Although, I have to say I'm surprised that Estee Lauder came out on top. Rumor was that Kering put in a higher bid at ~$3B. Personally, I think an acquisition by Kering makes a lot more strategic sense, given Kering's vastly superior experience of operating a portfolio of high-end diversified luxury brands (Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta) and the potential synergies. That being said, acquiring another high-end brand also has the risk of cannibalizing sales from Kering's other brands.
Disclaimer, I don't work in C&R...
...but it was definitely for beauty and was really to retain those licensing agreements, TF has become a key franchise for them and even with a near-term dilutive deal it's a good move strategically. It was widely reported that Kering was circling as well - they would have almost certainly ended those licensing agreements (they expire in 2030) and EL wanted to retain them. They now have not only permanent licensing, but don't have to pay royalties anymore on something that is already a cash cow.
The fashion business isn't their bread and butter, but they've already announced a licensing agreement with Zegna so they won't have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis.