Paris, June 13 – Six months after a change of ownership, Size Factory, the French leader in men’s plus sizes clothes, announces the acquisition of Capel, the historic premium player in the sector. Supported by LBO France, Size Factory is accelerating its development strategy in a fast-growing market. The new Capel-Size Factory group brings together the complementary expertise of the two leading brands in men’s plus sizes in France, both strongly committed to inclusive and responsible ready-to-wear. Its ambition is to become the benchmark player in Europe.
In the fashion sector, tall and overweight men are often forgotten, finding it very difficult to find products in their size in traditional ready-to-wear chains or brands. As a result, they tend to turn more to specialist players. Size Factory and Capel are the two main brands and stores in France exclusively dedicated to men who are not of the standard sizes: they dress tall and overweight men with sizes and cuts adapted to all morphologies: from 2XL to 10XL, and up to 2.20m. Inclusive by nature, they enable people who are often excluded from the clothing market to finally dress well.
Capel, the premium brand and pioneer in plus-size fashion
Founded in 1958, Capel is the pioneering brand in men’s plus-size fashion in France. It offers tall and overweight men up to size 78 a complete, top-of-the-range and contemporary men’s wardrobe, perfectly adapted to different morphologies thanks to its unique expertise in sizes and cuts. More than 55 different sizes are available for each model, offering the perfect combination of heights and widths to suit every exceptional stature.
Over the years, the brand’s reputation has been built on strong values: product quality with exceptional fabrics and materials, cuts designed to guarantee absolute comfort and elegance in all circumstances, and seamless service in its shops.
Capel is committed to responsible fashion movement: the company develops products recognised for their quality and durability. It strives to locate its production in France and Europe to offer products that are more responsible and respectful of the environment: “Capel, fashion made in not far away”.
Creation of the Capel-Size Factory group
With the acquisition of Capel, Size Factory achieves the initial development objectives formulated with LBO France, and creates the Capel-Size Factory group. This acquisition, entirely financed by Zencap, is a continuation of the impact financing put in place at the time of the LBO in December 2022. The achievement of ESG targets, determined in close collaboration with management and LBO France, will enable the group to accelerate its CSR strategy, with a consequent margin adjustment. The new group’s ambition is to become the leading men’s plus-size group in Europe, resolutely committed to inclusive and responsible fashion.
Capel-Size Factory now operates two brands with complementary positioning: Capel, the sector’s premium brand, distributed in its three shops located on the finest shopping streets in Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg; and Size Factory, the multi-brand chain dedicated to men’s plus sizes, present in 30 shops on the cities’ outskirts. The new group now brings together the best men’s plus-size offering in France and the most expert teams in the market. Capel-Size Factory will thus have the resources to pursue a broader objective of international expansion, alongside LBO France, a multi-specialist investment platform.
Jean-Marie Leroy, Partner in charge of LBO France Small Caps activity: “Six months after acquiring a stake in Size Factory, we have already reached a new step in our strategic development. We are particularly pleased to be supporting Capel-Size Factory on this new growth path and to be playing our part in reinventing the ready-to-wear sector, in favour of a more responsible and inclusive fashion.”
Ambroise Fondeur, CEO of Capel-Size Factory: “The acquisition of Capel should enable us to create the reference group for men’s plus sizes in France and Europe. It’s an ideal marriage between Capel, the historic player that has developed a strong brand, and Size Factory, the leading specialist player in the sector. By combining the unique expertise of the two teams, we will be strengthening our group and our ability to provide even better clothing for tall and overweight men in France, and globally in the future.”
About Size Factory
Size Factory is France’s leading brand for men’s plus sizes. With its e-commerce site and its network of 30 shops, the company exclusively distributes a wide range of major brands and own brands. Its digital and omnichannel strategy has enabled it to achieve steady growth in its business and very high levels of customer satisfaction. The company places CSR at the heart of its model and has already developed a second-hand clothing business. Founded in 2011 and now headed by Ambroise Fondeur, the company employs 100 people and has achieved a turnover of more than €20m during the 2021/2022 fiscal year.
About Capel
Capel is the pioneering premium brand for men’s plus sizes clothes in France. Founded in 1958, Capel is recognised as the top-of-the-range brand for plus-size fashion. With its unique expertise, it offers its customers, whether tall or overweight a complete wardrobe with the most beautiful cuts, the most beautiful fabrics, the greatest comfort and an unrivalled quality of service in its shops. Capel: Elegance. Without limits.
Capel had a turnover of €5m in 2022 and employs 20 people.
About LBO France
A pioneer in private equity in France, LBO France is today a leading multi-specialist and multi-country investment platform. Active in Private Equity, Real Estate, Venture and Listed Investment, the Company has been expanding for several years its activities in Europe, especially in Italy via its subsidiary Polis Fondi SGR, as well as on the African continent via its subsidiary CGF bourse. Wholly owned by its managers, LBO France is one of the founding members of the International Climate Initiative and one of the first signatories of the France Invest charter for parity.
Find out more: www.lbofrance.com
Media contacts
Antoine Denry: +33 (0)6 18 07 83 27 / antoine.denry@taddeo.fr
Julia Paget: +33 (0)6 38 55 68 78 / julia.paget@taddeo.fr