Regent LP to acquire French brand Petit Bateau

On October 23, the French Competition Authority gave its unconditional approval to the takeover of Petit Bateau by American investor Michael A. Reinstein, founding father of the Regent L.P. fund, formalising a strategic transaction first introduced on the finish of September.

On September 30, 2025, Michael A. Reinstein notified the French Competition Authority of his plan to acquire sole management of the enduring French brand, beforehand owned by Rocher Participations, the holding firm of the Rocher Group. Following its assessment, the regulator discovered that the transaction was not going to hurt competitors, citing restricted market shares within the affected markets and a low diploma of aggressive overlap between Regent’s portfolio manufacturers and people of Petit Bateau.

Founded in 1893 and famend for its timeless childrenswear, Petit Bateau now joins Regent L.P.’s diversified portfolio, which already consists of DIM, Playtex and Wonderbra, in addition to a number of worldwide manufacturers throughout the style, shopper items and media sectors.

The acquisition aligns with Regent’s technique of revitalising heritage manufacturers with robust European roots, leveraging their popularity and worldwide potential. It additionally comes in opposition to the backdrop of the Rocher Group’s strategic refocusing, with the corporate streamlining its actions for a number of months.

Petit Bateau, which operates a manufacturing web site in Troyes, will proceed to run its community of straight operated boutiques, department-store shop-in-shops, manufacturing unit retailers and e-commerce web site, with no quick change to its distribution mannequin.

In the Authority’s view, the complementary positioning of Petit Bateau and Regent’s lingerie manufacturers limits any threat of focus within the markets involved.

With Regent’s backing, famend for its capability to flip round and reposition established manufacturers, Petit Bateau may speed up its digital modernisation and worldwide enlargement, two initiatives already beneath means lately.

In 2024, the French firm employed 2,300 folks and reported income of €250 million, with progress in France and worldwide markets.