Juliette has a gun chooses Cathay Capital to accompany its international development

January 12, 2021
Europe

The famous Paris-based fragrance brand, Juliette has a gun, has welcomed Cathay Capital as a minority shareholder, with the objective of leveraging Cathay Capital’s strategic and financial support to expand the D2C channel and accelerate its ambitious international development, with a focus on the fast-growing Chinese consumer market.

Juliette has a gun is a fragrance project initiated in 2005 by Romano Ricci, great-grandson of Nina Ricci. A catchy name in the quiet world of perfumery… Inspired by a twist on the heroine of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Juliette is transported into the 21st century with a gun, metaphor for her perfume, her weapon of seduction. Its collection of fragrances is designed for one who understands that wearing a signature scent goes beyond the simple fact of smelling “nice”… It’s a statement, an affirmation of who you are. Romano Ricci aims to restore perfumes to what they should always have been : emblems of style and originality.

The perfume market in China is expected to reach 12 billion RMB in 2023, whilst the high-end perfume segment is expected to grow by 18% this year, outpacing all other categories. As consumers’ taste for refinement increases, their attention will shift further to fragrances. Since the most effective way to operate in a new market is to manage it in depth, from brand positioning, consumer mindset building to omni-channel sales, in 2018 Juliette has a gun started collaborating with Ushopal (one of Cathay Capital’s portfolio company), an omni-channel brand acceleration platform that is transforming the way global brands scale locally by adopting a data-driven and fully integrated approach.

This partnership has already produced remarkable results. For instance during the latest edition of Singles’ Day (China’s number 1 e-commerce event in November), Juliette has a gun was among the top 3 brands on Tmall in the high-end fragrance category, despite its very recent launch on Tmall this September. 10,000 sets of fragrances, sold out in just one hour, setting a new record for high-end perfumes.

Romano Ricci, the founder of Juliette has a gun: “We are convinced of the potential of our brand as one of the rare independent perfume makers. Using an omni-channel marketing strategy to build the personalized service and experience that the younger generation of consumers need in the new era is key. Cathay Capital, with its experienced investment team, in-depth local consumer market know-how, and global ecosystem of partners, is the perfect match to accompany us as we grow, to support our vision and to seize strategic opportunities in Asia and worldwide.”

Lanchun DUAN, Managing Partner of Cathay Capital: “With the rise of a new generation, Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards perfume have made a 180-degree turn. From rarely using perfume to buying all kinds of high-end perfumes and obsessing over niche fragrances, perfume consumption has become a habit for today’s young consumers, and Juliette has a gun is the one with the most tone and personality.”

About Juliette has a gun
Created in 2006 by Romano Ricci, great grandson of Nina Ricci, Juliette has a gun is one of the leading independent niche perfume brands. Juliette has a gun products, among which its iconic Fragrance NOT A PERFUME, are distributed in 42 countries, through a network of more than 2.000 retailers and beauty-chains worldwide.

About Cathay Capital Group
Cathay Capital Group is a global investment firm supporting companies at all stages throughout North America, Asia, Europe and Africa. By helping navigate the opportunities of globalization and sustainable transformation, Cathay is the partner of choice for companies aspiring to lead markets and make a positive impact. Its global platform connects people – from investors and entrepreneurs to management teams and leading corporations – across continents to share knowledge, the tools to scale, and achieve the extraordinary. Founded in 2007 with a strong entrepreneurial heritage, Cathay Capital now manages nearly $4B in assets, has completed over 160 buyouts, growth and venture capital investments with the global reach and local expertise from offices in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Munich, San Francisco, Beijing and Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.cathaycapital.com
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Advisors for Cathay
– Deal team: Lanchun Duan, Charles Bonnassieux, Xiayun Chen, Jinchen Cai
– Finance: Deloitte (Lisa Lauv, Elisabeth Juan)
– Legal, tax, labor: Taj (Cécile Debin, Olivier Venzal, Eric Guillemet)
– Lawyer: Hogan Lovells (Stephane Huten, Arnaud Deparday)

Advisors for JHAG
– Lawyer: Bredin Prat (Kate Romain)