Juliette Has A Gun secures fresh capital

Paris-based Juliette Has A Gun has secured new funding after Cathay Capital Private Equity increased its stake two years after an initial investment, while new investor Weinberg Capital Partners has taken a minority share in the niche perfume brand.

In a statement, Juliette Has A Gun said the new capital will allow it to consolidate its presence across the US, China, and the Middle East, as well as further develop in the Latin American and Southeast Asia perfume markets.

The fast-growing niche fragrance brand was founded in 2006 by Romano Ricci, the great-grandson of Nina Ricci, to empower women through scent. Its signature fragrances include Ego Stratis, Magnolia Bliss, Vanilla Vibes, Pear Inc., Musc Invisible, and Not a Perfume, its star fragrance.

In the last four years, Juliette Has a Gun has experienced tremendous growth with an average of 40 percent a year and tripling turnover over the last two years to achieve 120 million euros in retail sales value in 2022.

By leveraging the investment and operational support of Cathay Capital, as well as its partnerships with Sephora in the US and USHOPAL (one of Cathay Capital’s portfolio company) in China, the fragrance brand is now present in more than 50 countries through a network of more than 2,500 points of sale.

Edouard Moinet, partner at Cathay Capital, added: “We have been very impressed with the transformation of Juliette Has A Gun over the last three years and the implication of its expert teams and management, which have led them to a real success story. Juliette Has A Gun is the perfect example of a high-end international company fostered by the Cathay ecosystem.

“We are proud to remain part of their cross-border growth journey and believe the brand still has significant runway, which is why we are investing even more this time alongside Weinberg Capital Partners to accelerate their development even further.”

On investing, Philippe Klocanas, partner at Weinberg Capital Partners, said: “We were seduced by the brand’s disruptive identity, which breaks the codes of the industry, as well as its ability to attract younger generations.

“Its traction in markets as competitive as China and the United States best illustrates its potential. We warmly thank Romano, Antina and Cathay for choosing us as their new partner and look very much forward to bringing our customer centric expertise to the brand.”