January 2007
On January 3rd, 2007, Serve Investments Ltd, the UK company trading as re aqua and Dove Spa acquired Pond’s Institute Beauty Centres (PIBC), Spain. Under the transaction, Unilever Ventures, Verlinvest and other shareholders in Serve have agreed to fund the acquisition of PIBC and combine the two entities to form Spa & Salon Holdings Ltd (SSH). Shareholders have committed further funding to expand both the Pond’s Institute and the Dove brands in the spa category internationally.
Serve Investments Ltd operates 29 beauty centres in the UK and has the exclusive licence rights to operate beauty salons under the Dove Spa brand name. Its principal institutional shareholders are Unilever Ventures (UK), Verlinvest (B), and Thomcapital (Fin).
Pond’s Institute Beauty Centres (PIBC) operates 7 beauty salons in Spain, all under the Pond’s Institute name. It has the exclusive rights to the brand for beauty salons. Its only shareholder was Unilever.
The Spa and Salon Board is Chaired by Roger Pedder who was previously Chairman of Clarks, Robert Dyas and many other retail businesses. The other Board members are Adrian Brown who founded the re-aqua business in the UK, Andrew Lane from Unilever Ventures and Frédéric de Mevius from Verlinvest.
In addition Rachel Harris as VP International Business Development is responsible for developments of the Dove Spa and Pond’s Professional product ranges and international expansion.
ENDS
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Unilever Ventures
Unilever Ventures, based in London is the Venture Capital arm of the Unilever Group. It provides venture capital funding and management skills to start-up and early stage companies. The primary focus is on consumer-facing businesses in Europe where the team can draw upon Unilever’s expertise in Food and Home & Personal Care products and services in order to create value in portfolio companies.
Verlinvest
Verlinvest, based in Brussels, is a family controlled Belgian Holding Company, active in Europe and the United States, and investing principally in companies carrying recognized brands with high growth potential or stable cash flows with majority or minority participations. Its principal sectors of investment are Consumer Goods and Beverages and Wellbeing goods and services.
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Enquiries:
Spa & Salons Holdings Ltd
Name: Andrew Lane
Tél : +44 207 321 6185
16 Charles II St, London, SW1Y 4QU.
