The Newcastle-based menswear retailer turned to Goldman Sachs to help it find a new investor, Sky news reports. The retailer is in talks with private equity firms including Cinven and General Atlantic Partners, sources told Sky.
Christiaan Ashworth and John Parker founded End. in 2005, garnering a following for its curated assortment of sportswear, sneakers and emerging labels. Today, End sells the likes of Heron Preston and 1017 ALYX 9SM alongside luxury names like Gucci and Valentino and sports brands including Nike, Adidas and Patagonia.
End. operates three flagship stores in Newcastle, Glasgow and London, alongside an e-commerce business that accounts for the vast majority of sales. In October 2018, the duo told BoF they were on track to hit $180 million in revenue by the end of the year, up from $35 million in 2015, adding that the business has always been profitable.
Index Ventures, which has also invested in Farfetch and Net-a-Porter, took a minority stake in the retailer for an undisclosed sum in 2014. Ashworth and Parker own large minority stakes in the business, according to Sky.
