GB eye, the Sheffield-based home and giftware company specialising in pop culture posters, prints and fan-based merchandise, has been acquired by French group Abysse Corp.
The multi-million-pound deal will see GB eye, which holds over 100 brand licenses and boasts extensive local production and manufacturing expertise, become part of Abysse Corp.
The combined group will employ almost 300 staff and expect a consolidated turnover close to €60 million (around £51.6 million) for 2021.
The acquisition will give Abysse Corp – the European market leader for fan focused merchandise, further distribution in the UK, which is Europe’s largest market for licensed products.
In a statement, GB eye’s board of directors, said: “After 35 years in the business, we are delighted to announce the sale of the company to Abysse Corp.
“We are leaving GB eye in good hands. This was incredibly important to us. Abysse Corp is the perfect fit and has a like-minded business strategy with the ability to identify forthcoming trends and create high quality products for any pop-culture fans.
“Abysse Corp plans a smooth continuation of the business by adding the highly regarded GB eye brand to its existing global distribution network. The growth potential of the combined group is very exciting and we strongly believe that this is great news for all the GB eye staff as the business continues to go from strength to strength.”
Xavier Sartoris, Abysse Corp’s president, said: “The integration of GB eye is a fantastic opportunity to onboard a well-trained and very professional team. The two companies are really complementary and it is a great step to add GB eye’s production facility to ours in France. Local production and a strong domestic distribution is certainly the reason why both companies show such an amazing resilience in the covid time.”
Share