your Beauty Our duty

TIGI founders Bruno, Anthony, and Guy Mascolo are excited to announce that Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, have signed an agreement to acquire the global TIGI professional hair product business and its supporting advanced education academies.

Courtesy of Behind The Chair

The three brothers will continue to be involved and strongly endorse this combination as a way to continue the incredible success of the TIGI brands and education. Due to our unique salon positioning and related sales channels, the company will remain as a standalone business unit within Unilever, with its global headquarters remaining in Dallas, TX.

This will allow TIGI to maintain the company’s distinct identity, focus and commitment to the professional salon industry with the current team intact. TIGI President Thomas A. Reasonover will continue to lead the management team reporting to Michael B. Polk, President, Unilever Americas. After the announcement, Reasonover reported to BTC, “We are very excited to be working with Unilever, and the stand-alone nature of the agreement means we will be ‘business as usual’ with our customers. Our strengths and the strengths of Unilever are a fantastic match, and will help to move the company forward.”

TIGI will continue to provide professional personal care products and world-class salon education to assist the growth and vitality of customers at all levels of the salon industry.

Unilever’s strength in leading-edge resources will ensure new technology, brand awareness, and presence for our styling, fashion, and professional beauty channels.

Bruno Mascolo, the CEO of TIGI, commented: “We have always been passionate about people, so to be able to advance the industry through our products and education by using
Unilever’s impressive resources, while continuing to involve those who have made us successful – both customers and employees – is very gratifying. We look forward to our future together.”

The past year was a record for TIGI, with global sales up 7.5% due to successful introductions of B for Men®, TIGI Colour®, and Rockaholic®. TIGI looks to continue and improve this performance in 2009 through aggressive new brand introductions and salon programs.

TIGI’s major brands include Bed Head®, Catwalk® and S-Factor®. TIGI has operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Australia, employs about 550 people and in 2008, had worldwide sales of approximately $250 million, with almost half coming from the United States.

Michel Dyens and Co. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to TIGI in this transaction.

Subject to regulatory approval, the deal is expected to be completed by the end of March
2009.