Coty announced that, as part of an ongoing share repurchase strategy, the company has agreed to purchase 27,892,818 shares of Class B Common Stock owned by investment funds affiliated with Berkshire Partners (Berkshire) and Rhône (Rhône), representing all the shares of Class B Common Stock they will own on the purchase date. Pursuant to this transaction, Brad Bloom from Berkshire and Steve Langman from Rhône will resign their positions on Coty’s board of directors, and the Coty board will comprise eight members.
“We believe repurchasing our shares is a prudent use of our cash and are pleased to extend Coty’s record of returning value to shareholders through continued share repurchases,” stated Patrice de Talhouët, Coty CFO. “This repurchase of shares is in addition to our recently announced $200 million incremental share repurchase program authorized by our board and demonstrates our ongoing confidence in Coty’s strategy to generate long-term profitable growth and strong cash flow."
“On behalf of our board of directors and executive committee members, I would like to thank Brad and Steve for their support, dedication and service to our organization,” stated Michele Scannavini, Coty’s CEO. “They served with distinction and provided invaluable guidance to management during a pivotal time in our company’s history.”
“Over the past three and a half years, we have been honored to partner with Coty on its path to becoming a leader in the global beauty industry as it built a growing presence across new product categories and emerging markets around the globe,” said Steve Langman, managing director at Rhône. “While we now exit our shareholding as the company has completed its transition from the private to public capital markets commensurate with our original investment horizon, we continue to believe in the strength and creativity of its management team and growth potential of its brands. We thank Coty and its board for this extraordinary opportunity.”
“It was a privilege to partner with Coty, one of the world's leading beauty companies, during such an exciting chapter for the company,” said Brad Bloom, managing director at Berkshire Partners. “We look forward to watching Coty's continued success."
