Harold Tillman eyes further buys after rescuing Jacques Vert

Days after leading the rescue of Jacques Vert owner Style Group Brands, veteran fashion entrepreneur Harold Tillman raised the prospect of doing further deals.

Tillman headed a team that bought Style Group Brands, also home to clothing brands Eastex, Precis, Windsmoor and Dash, in a multi-million-pound deal on Friday.

Today the former Jaeger owner said he and his fellow investors, including Sandeep Vyas and Haseeb Aziz, were keen to snap up more businesses once they have reviewed and come up with a plan for the new purchase.

“There is still more opportunity. The people I am working with mentioned they would also consider other retail opportunities,” the 71-year-old told the Standard.

Over the weekend the consortium, going by the name of Calveton Brands, received approaches from three businesses, including well-established American brands looking to get a foothold in Europe. Tillman declined to name the firms.

A string of retail businesses are on the market, including L’Oréal-owned The Body Shop, Hobbs and the company behind Oasis and Warehouse.

A number of others such as Jaeger, Agent Provocateur and Jones the Bootmaker, have recently fallen into administration. Tillman attempted to buy back Jaeger prior to its administration, but was rebuffed. Tillman said the Style Group deal, done via a so-called pre-pack administration, would secure 1700 jobs, though some store closures and around 200 redundancies are expected.

The priority for the company, which turned over £158.1 million in the year ended January 2016, was to ensure it was fully stocked and restore brand awareness.

He believes its older audience provides a significant opportunity.

“There is a very strong market out there and people are in better shape, living longer. Everybody can’t compete in the same space.”