(Reuters) – French groups Kering and EssilorLuxottica are among the companies interested in buying Italian eyewear maker Marcolin, which notably manufactures frames for American designer Tom Ford, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Veneto company, 83% owned by the private equity fund PAI Partners, is estimated to be worth up to 1.3 billion euros. It has started preliminary discussions in recent weeks with Kering, EssilorLuxottica but also its Italian competitor Safilo, specifies the London daily.
The American company Marchon has also expressed interest, according to a source involved in the negotiations cited by the newspaper.
The asking price is, however, the subject of disagreement between Marcolin and his interlocutors, multiple sources indicated to the daily.
PAI Partners, which began investing in the family company in 2012, recruited Goldman Sachs as an advisory bank, adds the Financial Times in its article.
(Mrinmay Dey in Bangalore, Jean-Stéphane Brosse for the French version)
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