©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Glasses produced by EssilorLuxottica are displayed in their exhibition space at SILMO in Villepinte, near Paris, France, September 24, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
(Reuters) – Owner of Gucci Dry (EPA:) and EssilorLuxottica, parent company of Ray-Ban, are among the suitors of Italian eyewear maker Marcolin, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
New York-based eyewear maker Marchon has also expressed interest, the FT added, citing a single source.
Reuters reported last month that top managers at Marcolin – which makes Tom Ford (NYSE:) eyewear – have begun meeting with potential suitors as they prepare the company for a merger or sale by renewing a series of major licensing deals.
Marcolin’s owner, private equity firm PAI Partners, is seeking a valuation of around 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) for the company, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
PAI, which bought Marcolin in 2012, has hired Goldman Sachs as an advisor as it prepares the company for sale, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
PAI, Marcolin, Kering, EssilorLuxottica, Safilo and Marchon did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
EssilorLuxottica would be the best fit for Marcolin, the FT said, adding that Milan-listed Safilo has also considered the company but sees it as an “opportunistic add-on” and is the least likely buyer.
Marcolin, which operates in the Italian eyewear manufacturing district in the north-east of the country, recorded a 3% increase in turnover to 422 million euros in the first nine months of last year. Its adjusted core profit rose 28% to 65 million euros.
($1 = 0.9143 euros)