butter LONDON® Announces Investment Partnership with Encore Consumer Capital

SEATTLE, July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- butter LONDON® today announced that Encore Consumer Capital has made a majority investment in the indie beauty brand. Under the terms of the agreement, Encore Consumer Capital, a private equity investment firm, will form a partnership to help develop and market the Seattle-based company.

butter LONDON® was founded in 2005 by Sasha Muir, a British entrepreneur, who successfully built the company into an influential, high-design, nail lacquer brand. Famed for pioneering "3 Free" nail care in the service sector, today butter LONDON® is recognized around the world for superb, unexpected colour and long-lasting, high-performing cosmetics and nail care products.

"We are very excited to be working with Encore, who have a proven track record in growing brands into category leaders while maintaining the integrity and identity of the brand. This partnership will allow us to continue to bring the highest quality products to our customers with speed, quality and care," says Leslie Freytag, butter LONDON® President & CEO.

"We are excited to begin our partnership with the great team at butter LONDON® to help build upon the brand's attractive and unique positioning in the prestige beauty industry," says Kevin Murphy, Managing Director at Encore Consumer Capital. "We look forward to supporting the company's introduction of great new products and engagement with its valued retailer partners to drive the brand's growth."

About butter LONDON®:
Synonymous with all things rock and roll, Great Britain and fashion, butter LONDON® is recognized around the world for superb, unexpected colour and long-lasting, high-performing beauty products. Founded in 2005 as one of the pioneers in the nail service sector offering "3 Free" nail lacquer, butter LONDON® is now the "go-to" brand for high-fashion beauty. The butter LONDON® product line includes eye, lip, face, and nail colour cosmetics that are fashion-forward and created for the runway. Since establishing key retail relationships with Ulta and Nordstrom in 2010, butter LONDON® has expanded into other prestige outlets such as Macy's, Sephora, and select boutique apothecaries. butter LONDON® has a significant international presence and sells direct through both its online platform (butterLONDON.com) and its very own Seattle, Washington Sea-Tac Airport Nail Salon. butter LONDON® is a privately-held company.

About Encore Consumer Capital:
Encore Consumer Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm focused on the consumer products industry. The firm has raised nearly $400 million in equity capital and invested in 16 companies. Encore's current and prior investments include personal care products companies (MyChelle Dermaceuticals, tarte), food companies (Aidells Sausage Company, Mesa Foods, Ciao Bella Gelato Company, The Quinoa Corporation, Brownie Brittle), beverage companies (The Isopure Company, Juice Tyme), and pet products companies (ThunderWorks, Zuke's). The firm targets companies with between $10 million and $100 million in annual revenues where Encore's strong operating expertise in strategy development, brand marketing and distribution expansion can help drive performance. For more information please visit www.EncoreConsumerCapital.com.

SOURCE butter LONDON