BMB (Blue Max Banner) has announced the acquisition of SWI Schoolwear, with SWI’s entire product range becoming part of the group’s portfolio.
SWI is known for its sportswear collection, which was designed collaboratively with athletes and students. The acquisition will enable BMB to further extend its reach into the sportswear market, and will also help the group to grow its sales in the retail space – SWI currently generates around 30% of its product sales through retail partnerships.
BMB’s chief executive, Nigel Plenderleith, said: “The market continues to change and we need to ensure that we adapt and move the business forward through product innovation. To achieve this it is crucial to have a solid understanding of the needs of the end user along with a multi-channel reach.
“Combining our extensive experience and product portfolio with SWI’s design, product development and marketing capabilities will provide us with enhanced opportunities as part of an enlarged group, enabling us to provide the entire market with high quality clothing on a much larger scale.”
Kirk Robertson, founder of SWI, said: “We are very pleased to join BMB and look forward to working with Nigel and his team to drive the industry forward. We believe this is a perfect fit, bringing together leadership, expertise and complementary capabilities to meet the market’s ever changing requirements and deliver outstanding service.”
The acquisition was funded by growth capital investors MML Capital Partners and Barclays Bank, and completed on 1 July 2016.
