December 1, 2023 – CriticalPoint is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive financial advisor to Barton Perreira on its sale to Thélios, the eyewear unit of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (“LVMH”).
Based in Irvine, California, Barton Perreira is a luxury eyewear brand that produces some of the finest eyewear in the world. Launched in 2007 by co-founders Bill Barton and Patty Perreira, former long-time executives at Oliver Peoples until it was sold to Oakley in 2006, forged a commitment to creating the best eyewear in the industry. Frames are handmade and manufactured in Japan from the finest materials. The exquisite collections and distinguished attention to detail has made Barton Perreira a timeless brand. This acquisition will expand Thélios’ portfolio and contributes to strengthening its leadership in the luxury eyewear sphere.
Alessandro Zanardo, CEO of LVMH’s eyewear division, Thélios, comments: “We are excited to welcome Barton Perreira into our Maison portfolio. The brand is a true gemstone in the eyewear industry, standing for understated luxury, timeless designs, and exceptional craftsmanship. We are looking forward to working with Barton Perreira’s talented team and dedicate ourselves to preserving its unique identity while leveraging our resources and expertise to further develop the brand.”
Through Thélios’ selective distribution network, Barton Perreira will be introduced to high-potential markets in Europe and Asia, complementing their strong presence in the U.S. market. LVMH also plans to open a number of stand-alone Barton Perreira stores in Europe adding to the brand’s current U.S. locations in New York, NY, Aspen, CO, Kansas City, MO, and Bozeman, MT. “The brand is well-known and well-established in the U.S., but we see massive opportunity to expand it,” continued Zanardo.
Bill Barton and Patty Perreira will stay on in their respective roles at Barton Perreira and continue to lead the brand in its new phase of growth, stating: “We are incredibly thankful to the CriticalPoint team for helping us reach a fantastic outcome, for both us and Thélios. Their professionalism and experience throughout the M&A process was first-class, and we could not have done this without them. Their guidance and advice were invaluable, and we are excited for what the future holds for Barton Perreira as part of the Thélios family.”
About Barton Perreira
Barton Perreira is an independent brand that sees things differently, taking the time to invest in craftsmanship that produces nothing less than the finest eyewear in the world. Meticulously crafted by hand in Japan, a single pair of Barton Perreira frames takes weeks to refine. Distinguished for their passionate attention to each one-of-a-kind detail, Japan’s leading artisans ensure every facet of Barton Perreira eyewear is brought to life with precision and virtuosity. Please visit https://bartonperreira.com/ to learn more.
About Thélios
Born from the will of LVMH Group, world leader in luxury, to establish itself in the eyewear sector, Thélios designs, produces and distributes sunglasses and optical frames for some of its most prestigious Maisons: Dior, Fendi, Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, Stella McCartney, Kenzo, Berluti and Fred. With its Manifattura, located in Longarone, Italy, Thélios blends the distinct identity of each Maison with Italian craftsmanship to create exceptional luxury eyewear.
Please visit https://Thelios.com/en to learn more.
About LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
A family-run group founded in 1987, LVMH strives to ensure the long-term development of each of its 75 iconic Maisons in keeping with their identity, their heritage and their expertise. LVMH and its Maisons are the custodians of an unparalleled heritage of time-honored craftsmanship and creative skills and take great care in protecting and developing savoir-faire that has sometimes been passed on for centuries. With reported sales of 79.2 billion euros in 2022 and 5,600 stores around the world, we are the only group present in all major sectors of the luxury industry: Wines & Spirits, Fashion & Leather Goods, Perfumes & Cosmetics, Watches & Jewelry, and Selective Distribution. Please visit https://www.lvmh.com/ to learn more.
CriticalPoint served as the exclusive financial advisor to Barton Perreira in connection with the transaction. The transaction demonstrates CriticalPoint’s expertise in middle market advisory and commitment to act as a trusted advisor with proven abilities to deliver for its clients.
If you would like more information about CriticalPoint or have questions regarding this transaction, please contact:
About CriticalPoint
Headquartered in Los Angeles, CriticalPoint is a leading full-service financial M&A firm that uniquely combines the best of investment banking, private capital, and valuation service offerings. CriticalPoint executes, sources, and invests in deals across a wide variety of industries for the traditionally underserved middle market. Since our founding in 2012, our mission has been to serve the needs of owners, entrepreneurs, management teams, and stakeholders with our experience, knowledge, and expert judgment, to help them realize their companies’ greatest potential. From our deep-rooted foundation in private equity and investment banking, and our devotion to deal origination and business development, combined with being entrepreneurs at heart, we believe we are differentiated and well positioned to help companies wherever they are in their life cycle.
