(March 3): Prada SpA is moving closer to a deal to buy Versace from Capri Holdings Ltd after agreeing to a price of nearly €1.5 billion (US$1.6 billion or RM7.0 billion), according to people familiar with the matter.  

The Milan-based company and Capri could finalise a deal for the Italian luxury clothier this month, said the people, asking not to be identified because discussions are private. Talks are progressing after initial due diligence didn’t find any risks, the people said.

The timing and valuation could change and discussions could still fall apart, the people added. Capri, which bought Versace in 2018 for about €1.8 billion, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday. Prada declined to comment.

Prada shares rose as much as 4.1% on Monday in Hong Kong, where the stock was listed in 2011 in a nod to the importance of the Chinese market.

A potential acquisition of the fashion house founded by the late designer Gianni Versace in 1978 would allow Prada to create a larger Italian player to better compete with global luxury groups such as LVMH and Kering SA.

A purchase would mark a reversal of the trend in Italian fashion after decades during which domestic luxury groups — including Gucci and Valentino — were bought by foreign rivals. 

“Prada would be well positioned to realise Versace’s brand potential in the long term, potentially paving way for the group to become Italy’s answer to the French luxury conglomerates,” UBS Group AG’s analysts led by Susy Tibaldi said in a note last Friday.

Prada emerged as one of the luxury sector’s winners amid a global downturn for high-end fashion items. Its sales surged in the third quarter of last year on the back of its Miu Miu brand, a label popular with younger consumers.

The Italian company had spent weeks evaluating Versace with its advisers, and had gained exclusive access to its latest financial and sales figures, Bloomberg News reported in February, citing people familiar with the situation.

The aesthetics of the minimalistic Prada and “maximalist” Versace “are polar opposites”, and wouldn’t run the risk of cannibalisation, the UBS analysts said in a note. 

Even with a deal, Prada will be worth a fraction of its biggest competitors. The Hong Kong-listed fashion house has a market capitalisation of about HK$169.4 billion (US$21.8 billion or RM97.23 billion), following a 10% share gain since the start of the year. Miuccia Prada’s family and her husband Patrizio Bertelli control about 80% of the company. 

French conglomerate LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior as well as a string of Italian brands including Fendi and Loro Piana, has a market value of €347.5 billion. LVMH last year bought a stake in the company that controls Moncler SpA, the Italian maker of designer outerwear. 

Versace reported revenue of US$193 million for the third quarter of the current fiscal year, a 15% year-on-year decline, according to a statement. Over the same period, the brand’s operating loss widened to US$21 million for US$14 million.

Capri, which also owns Michael Kors, hired Barclays plc to explore options for some of its portfolio companies after an US$8.5 billion combination with Tapestry Inc was scrapped following a court order. Capri’s debt was downgraded to below investment grade by S&P Global Ratings in February.

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