FMCG major Emami has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire the remaining 49.6 per cent stake in Helios Lifestyle, which owns men’s grooming brand ‘The Man Company’, for cash consideration of ₹177.63 crore.
Emami currently holds a 50.4 per cent stake in Helios. Post acquisition of the balance equity shares, the start-up will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company.
The Kolkata-based FMCG maker, on Saturday, said the completion of the acquisition of Helios will strengthen its presence in the fast growing digital first premium male grooming segment.
In a stock exchange filing, the company said it entered into a share purchase agreement (SPA) with Parvesh Kumar, Hitesh Dhingra, Bhisham Bhateja, the promoter shareholders of Helios, and other non–promoter shareholders of the start-up for acquisition of the 49.6 per cent stake.
The completion of the acquisition is subject to satisfaction of certain conditions precedent as specified in the SPA.
The indicative time period for completion of the acquisition is three months.
Helios Lifestyle became a subsidiary of Emami with effect from July 1, 2022. The start-up, incorporated on February 27, 2013, was founded by Hitesh Dhingra, Parvesh Bareja and Bhisham Bhateja. It manufactures and sells male grooming products under the brand name “The Man Company,” catering to the premium segment. It offers beard products, skin & hair care products and deodorant & perfumes, among others.
“We had adopted the route of strategic investments in new-age startups very early to leverage online opportunities brought about by rapid digitalization to incubate new engines of growth,” said Harsha V Agarwal, Vice Chairman & MD, Emami Ltd. “These strategic investments help us to have footprints in emerging segments that align with evolving consumer preferences.”
Agarwal said ‘The Man Company’ brand was the company’s first strategic investment in 2017, with the start-up becoming its subsidiary in 2022. “We are happy to have not only invested in ‘The Man Company’ as we could foresee its huge potential, but equally impressed and happy with the promoter’s vision and commitment towards making it a formidable brand,” he said, adding with the completion of 100 per cent acquisition of the start-up the brand will be taken to its next level of growth.
“As we embarked on our journey, we noticed a shift in men’s grooming needs, with more men recognizing the importance of looking and feeling their best. Seeing this untapped potential, we took the opportunity and started the brand and partnered with Emami as a strategic investor in 2017. Within a short span of time, ‘The Man Company’ has become a key player in the men’s grooming segment in India,” said Hitesh Dhingra, Co-founder of Helios Lifestyle, commenting on the development.
“As we took the brand to a new level over the last few years, we now expect it to continue its growth trajectory with Emami which has the ability to further accelerate the same and make ‘The Man Company’ one of the leading brands in the segment,” Dhingra added.