Family office investments

JAB Holding Company, the investment vehicle of Germany’s billionaire Reimann family, has stepped away from luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo and bitten into bakery-café chain Panera.

JAB continued its shift from the moribund luxury market to coffee and food with its call in April for buyers interested in acquiring its 68% stake in Jimmy Choo.

The long-term trend of divesting control of family businesses into family offices is expected by KPMG to rise in 2017 as investments diversify and succession looms.

The increasing intricacy of the family’s investments and activities and succession planning were believed to be behind the trend.

KPMG also predicted the need for a “renewed focus” on how to reward professionals within family offices, in light of the increasingly evident war for talent.

Uncertainty in the wake of the Brexit vote has bolstered a state-funded initiative to attract businesses and high net worth families to set-up or relocate to Guernsey.

Locate Guernsey, funded by the island’s government, the States of Guernsey, has already helped 14 businesses and high net worth individuals move to the Channel Island in the first six months of 2016.

French family office Groupe Arnault and the eponymous family’s luxury fashion empire LVMH are joining forces with US-based private equity firm Catterton to launch a new global consumer-focused investment firm, L Catterton.

With six distinct fund strategies and expectations to have $12 billion worth of assets under its management once the transaction has been finalised, L Catterton is set to become the largest consumer-focused firm of its kind.