Chanel Becomes Shareholder of MB&F with 25% Stake
The luxury fashion house continues to broaden its involvement in high-end independant watchmaking.
Chanel has taken a 25% stake in MB&F, making the luxury French Maison a strategic minority shareholder for the independent haute horlogerie brand.
Following Chanel’s previous investments in Romain Gauthier in 2011, and F.P. Journe back in 2018, the fashion house continues to steadily expand its involvement within the field of high-end independent watchmaking. MB&F’s founder, Maximilian Büsser still owns the majority of the company with 60% of shares. Meanwhile, his business partner, Serge Kriknoc currently holds 15%.
Speaking on this announcement, Maximilian Büsser, the founder of MB&F said that “It was our responsibility, in today’s very favorable context and with our management team in its prime, to take this major step to ensure our long-term future – a natural evolution for a company celebrating its 20th anniversary next year.” With this new alliance, Büsser also noted that “the investment by Chanel will strengthen our operations by providing access when needed to their wider ecosystem and network of specialized suppliers”.
Chanel’s President of Watches & Fine Jewelry, Frédéric Grangié also formally expressed their delight in partnering with MB&F. In an official press release, he highlighted that the Swiss company shares “the same values of independence, creativity and excellence” with the French Maison. “The announcement is part of our long-term strategy to continue to preserve, develop and invest in specialist know-how and expertise, reaffirming our position in high-end watchmaking,” Grangié elaborated.
