CVC buys Nordic optical retail chain Synsam

Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has bought eyewear chain Synsam Nordic from Alipes, the investment firm controlled by Sweden’s Kamprad family which also controls the world’s largest furniture retailer IKEA, CVC said on Tuesday. CVC did not say how much it paid for Synsam, which had sales of around 3 billion Swedish crowns ($467 million) in 2013 and employs some 2,600. “With attractive market positions, a strong brand name and an extensive store network, as well as an emerging online offering, Synsam is now ready to take the next step in its development,” CVC said in a statement. Synsam is the largest optical retail chain in the Nordic region with more than 420 of its own stores and franchisees in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, CVC added.