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GP Bullhound advises sunglassesshop.com on its sale to 'Glasses Direct'

GP Bullhound, the technology investment bank, has acted as the sole advisor to sunglassesshop.com on its sale to Prescription Eyewear Ltd. ("Glasses Direct"). 

sunglassesshop.com is the UK’s leading independent online retailer of designer sunglasses offering an unparalleled choice of luxury sunglasses from over 100 brands, the team recently expanded its business across Europe with sites in 12 languages. The two companies combined, which will operate separately, attract more than eight million unique visitors annually and sell nearly a quarter of a million pairs of sunglasses a year.

Glasses Direct chief executive officer Kevin Cornils said: “sunglassesshop.com is the clear leader in the sunglass market, with an unbeatable selection of over 8,000 frames.  He added that sunglassesshop.com had 'unrivalled knowledge of performance and sports sunglasses' as well as being a source of celebrity sunglassesshop.com is part of our ongoing strategy to have the best in class proposition in all segments of the online eyewear market.”

Daniel Puddick, CEO and Co-founder of sunglassesshop.com added: "GP Bullhound's global network and strong M&A execution skills allowed sunglassesshop.com to find the right strategic partner to establish a leading player in the sector and deliver an excellent result for all the shareholders." 

This represents the completion of GP Bullhound’s eleventh transaction in the Internet sector in the past twelve months, including Interactive Investor (UK), King.com (UK), Starlounge (Sweden), Avito.ru (Russia), Euroffice (UK), Private Outlet (France) and Figleaves (UK) and further underlines the Firm’s leadership position in representing the elite of the European Digital Media sector.

About GP Bullhound
With offices in London and San Francisco, GP Bullhound is a leading investment banking firm providing advice on mergers & acquisitions and institutional capital-raising to emerging growth companies in the Technology sector. The firm was established in 1999 and has a proven track record with over 100 completed M&A and Private Placement transactions on behalf of Europe's leading entrepreneurs and business builders.

The international team, comprised of some of the most experienced technology advisory professionals, together with our dedicated approach has helped us establish a leading global position. We have strong domain expertise in the areas of Internet and Digital Media, Software and Services, CleanTech and Hardware, where we focus on providing preeminent advisory services to some of the best entrepreneurs, management teams and investors around the globe.

For enquires contact: Lina Einarsson +44 207 101 7560; lina.einarsson@gpbullhound.com

www.gpbullhound.com