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December 2017 Cegedim, an innovative technology and services company listed in Paris (EURONEXT : CGM), has signed an acquisition agreement with Societe Generale covering its Cegelease business, a subsidiary operating in the financial leasing sector. Founded in 2001 to support Cegedim's sales to its customers with leasing solutions, the company has gradually expanded its activities by financing the sales of other suppliers. With nearly 500 suppliers and more than 25,000 clients Cegelease has established itself as one of the independent leaders in financial leasing for healthcare professionals. With 31 million customers in 66 countries, and over € 25 billion in net banking income, Société Générale is one of the largest European financial services groups. Societe Generale , through its subsidiary Franfinance, is one of the leaders in the equipment financing for companies and sees the healthcare market as a key area for growth. This acquisition, which is subject to the approval of competition authorities, will enable Franfinance to strengthen its position in this market and create a major player in the field of financing for healthcare professionals. Ohana & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to the seller, the Cegedim group.

Onward Holdings, the listed Japanese luxury group, has acquired a controlling stake in Charlotte Olympia, the iconic British footwear and accessories label. This acquisition is part of an expansion plan that aims to accelerate Charlotte Olympia’s growth within Europe and Asia. Ohana & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to Onward in this transaction. Founded in 2008, by Charlotte Dellal, Charlotte Olympia is known for creativity, craftsmanship and femininity. The brand has established itself as a global luxury player with designs influenced by Hollywood cinema glamour and movie stars from the 1940s and 50s. Charlotte Dellal, founder and creative director, and Bonnie Takhar, CEO, will continue to run the company.

Cegedim [Euronext: CGM], the publicly traded technology and services group, has acquired Futuramedia Group, the French leader in digital out of home (DOOH) advertising. Founded in 2004, as a one of the first retail based (i.e. in store) digital advertising network, Futuramedia quickly established itself as the undisputed French leader in digital advertising in pharmacies. With more than 5,500 digital screens inside pharmacies and in their shop windows, Futuramedia offers to its advertisers – pharma and beauty groups such as L’Oreal, Sanofi and Reckitt – a flexible and attractive digital media reaching customers both inside and outside the point of sale. Already active in the field of pharmacy communication through its RNP subsidiary, Cegedim will bolster its digital activities by adding the leader in digital communication in pharmacy networks. Thanks to this acquisition, Cegedim will be strengthening its offering to pharmaceutical and cosmetics clients by offering the largest network of digital screens in pharmacies. In this competitive process Ohana & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to Futuramedia and its shareholders.

With six stores and a burgeoning e-commerce business that accounts for half of total sales, Bandier has influenced the ath-leisure category since opening its first store in the Hamptons in the summer of 2014. From the start, husband-and-wife founders Jennifer Bandier and Neil Boyarsky offered stylish activewear from an assortment of global brands. To build a loyal customer following, the retailer hosts talks, special events and on-site fitness classes. Accessories, footwear and limited-run products are also part of the company’s assortment.

Headed by cultural entrepreneur and K11 founder Adrian Cheng, C Ventures is a new venture capital fund that focuses on connecting emerging fashion, media and creative businesses for the next generation. With an expanding portfolio, C Ventures strives to map out a cultural ecosystem to meet the fast-changing needs of global millennials and Gen Z. C Ventures also benefits immensely from Cheng’s expansive scope of businesses in China and Asia, which include world’s largest jewellery chain Chow Tai Fook, cultural enterprise New World Group, world’s first museum-retail concept K11, international hospitality group Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, luxury fashion distributor Luxba and leading Chinese media group Modern Media. C Ventures was founded in 2017 and is currently managed by Cheng and his business partner Clive Ng.

Ohana & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to C Ventures.

Mally Beauty, the iconic color cosmetics brand, has signed an agreement with Guthy-Renker for a minority investment. Founded in 2005 by celebrity makeup artist Mally Roncal, Mally Beauty quickly established as a top contender in the beauty industry. After spending 15 years on the road with some of the biggest celebrities in the world, Mally Roncal created Mally Beauty, a collection that infuses her knowledge, expertise, and techniques into every formula. The collection first debuted on QVC in March 2005, where it sold out within 40 minutes breaking records for the retailer. Mally Beauty is currently available on QVC and at Ulta Beauty and Kohl’s Department Stores. Mally Beauty is majority-owned by TPR Holdings. Guthy-Renker, one of the world’s largest and most respected direct marketing companies, will start developing a Mally Beauty marketing campaign to expand channels in which Mally Beauty products can be purchased direct to consumer, including television and e-commerce.replique montre

Dotdash completed the acquisition of Byrdie from Clique Brands. Clique is the parent company of leading digital fashion brand Who What Wear and was founded by Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr in 2006. Named to Fast Company's most innovative companies list in 2017 and as Digiday’s most innovative publisher in 2018, Clique is a global media and consumer brands company that combines the power of data science with its expert editorial team to create content and products that millennial women and Gen Z girls crave. Ohana & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor to the seller, Clique Brands.

South Korea's top cosmetics maker, AmorePacific, has forged a strategic partnership with Milk Makeup, a New York City-based cosmetics and skincare company, to cooperate in marketing and sales as the two companies are expanding their global presence. Amorepacific said Tuesday that it would strengthen sales to the Millennials and Generation Z through cooperation with the American company while supporting the global expansion of Milk Makeup, which produces paraben-free, vegan, and cruelty-free products. Generation Z is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials. Demographers use the mid- to late-1990s as starting birth years. Describing Milk Makeup as a brand loved by Millennial beauty mania for innovative formulas and clean ingredients, AmorePacific CEO Bae Dong-hyun vowed to actively support Milk Makeup's entry into the South Korean market and global growth. Ohana & Co. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to AmorePacific.

FusionCharts (www.fusioncharts.com), a leading provider of professional charting libraries used by over 800,000+ developers at 28,000+ companies around the world to build web and mobile dashboard and founded and bootstrapped by Indian entrepreneur Pallav Nadhani, was acquired by Idera, Inc., parent company of global B2B software productivity brands that enable its 50,000+ database professionals customers to design, monitor and manage data systems and provide application development tools to help software engineers build, test, deploy, and manage a wide range of applications faster and more efficiently.  FusionCharts will join Idera, Inc.’s Developer Tools business unit that includes Embarcadero, Sencha, Froala, Whole Tomato and LANSA. We advised InfoSoft Global Private Ltd, former parent of FusionCharts, on this cross-border transaction between India and the US.  Pallav Nadhani, CEO of InfoSoft Global said: “Cross-border acquisitions come with their own unique set of challenges. Laurent Ohana was extremely helpful, professional and diligent in helping us navigate through the entire process. I would highly recommend him and his team for founders looking to go through a similar transaction.”

The latest skin-care company to draw investor interest is Lu Ming Tang, a natural beauty brand based in China, which has received minority investment from private family offices. Those include the family office of Susan Rockefeller, Kara Ross, Christophe Cervasel and Sylvie Ganter, and the Guibor fund.  French executive Marie Amiand, who has extensive experience consulting in the beauty industry, particularly in Asia, created Lu Ming Tang centered on Chinese tea leaves and their healing and purifying qualities. The idea for the line, which was launched in 2016, came after she was diagnosed with heavy-metal poisoning stemming from urban pollution. A doctor in Hong Kong suggested she follow a medical treatment but also drink five cups of green tea daily, which she saw had a positive effect on her skin.  Lu Ming Tang’s 40-unit range is positioned as “affordable luxury,” with products including cleansers, moisturizers and masks, priced from $14 to $93. Everything is manufactured in Suzhou, China.  Lu Ming Tang’s bestsellers include the Crème de Marie facial moisturizer and radiance booster; Miraculous Detox Paste, and Jasmine Bliss and Rose Bliss lip balms.  The beauty brand was pre-launched on Valentine’s Day 2016 with The Beast Shop, in Shanghai. It is now sold elsewhere in China, South Korea and Singapore in domestic, travel-retail and digital outlets, including Tmall. It’s offered, as well, on some private jets in Asia.  The brand considers its base to be The Maison Lu Ming Tang tea house, formerly the Qianlong Imperial Library, a temple house dating from the Song dynasty, between 960 and 1279. The building stands in the Longjing tea mountains, which are listed by Unesco as a protected natural heritage site.  Ohana & Co. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Lu Ming Tang.