The agreement was made official. Through his private equity firm Artemis, the CEO of Kering acquired a majority stake in the company Creative Artists Agency, which represents and supports top celebrities such as A$AP Rocky, Margot Robbie, Claudia Schiffer and Dua Lipa.
Pinault gets his hands on the greatest talents in the world
After the announcement of talks last July, François-Henri Pinault concluded an agreement majority stake in the capital of the entity Creative Artists Agency – CAA. The transaction, the financial details of which were not communicated, was carried out through the family investment company of the Pinault family, Artemis. The latter will thus buy back the shares of the company TPG Capital, which had invested 53% in 2010 and then in 2014 in CAA.
Founded in 1975 and based in Los Angeles, the artistic agency represents a number of international personalities. There we find actors and directors, such as Salma Hayek – wife of François-Henri Pinault -, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt; a wide variety of singers, from Beyoncé to Ariana Grande to A$AP Rocky, Madonna and Dua Lipa; high-level athletes and coaches in various sports such as football and baseball; and protagonists from theater, television, entertainment, video games and even publishing.
CAA is also very established in the fashion world and counts Olivier Rousteing, Proenza Schouler, Tom Ford, Claudia Schiffer, Winnie Harlow and Cindy Crawford in its talent portfolio. So many celebrities who are more than influential in their field of activity but also in the world of luxury via the roles of muses or ambassadors.
An opportunity for Kering brands?
If François-Henri Pinault continues his diversification operations thanks to this majority acquisition of the agency, this transaction could have a major impact on the business of his Kering group. Indeed, by having a certain control over CAA’s activities and talents, the CEO of the firm could favor certain contracts in favor of its own brands, like Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Boucheron. An important communications strategy at a time when public figures are constantly contribute to notoriety and the visibility of luxury houses.
Recently, the multinational Kering – +2% turnover in the first half of 2023 – acquired the perfume brand Creed and acquired 30% of the shares in the Valentino house.