Flora & Fauna has been rescued by founder Julie Mathers, who will reacquire the company from BWX in partnership with New Zealand–based online wellness retailer HealthPost through newly formed entity Future Collective.
WHO: Founded in 2014 by Julie Mathers, Flora & Fauna, based in Sydney, Australia, is recognized as a leading online vegan retailer, with 300 brands available across its multi-category offering that covers beauty, personal care, lifestyle, baby & kids, pet, food & health. Flora & Fauna offsets all carbon emissions and, in 2017, became one of the first Australian retailers to achieve Certified B Corporation status.
HealthPost is a family-owned business founded in 1988 by Abel Butler and his partner Lilani Rogers. It is a pure-play online retailer of natural health, beauty, and eco products with a range of 6,000-plus items from 350 brands. The company’s annual revenues are NZ$35 million (AU$ 32.74 million).
The Future Collective is a new partnership between Julie Mathers and her husband Tom Abraham, New Zealand e-commerce player HealthPost, and Abel Butler and Lilani Rogers, the CEO and Head of Procurement and Operations at HealthPost, respectively.
WHY: Publicly traded BWX went into voluntary administration in April as the company deals with mounting losses and struggling subsidiaries. A series of big acquisitions, some of which were debt-backed, put pressure on the business.
HealthPost is a family-owned retailer that sells its products through online platforms. The latest deal marks its expansion with the first physical presence in Australia’s Tasmania region.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “There is a lot of work to do and we will be working at speed to get Flora & Fauna back up and running as soon as we can,” said Julie Mathers. "Both companies’ values and ethics align and that together with their combined experience, team and infrastructure, the acquired businesses will thrive."
CEO of HealthPost Abel Butler said, “We have admired both Flora & Fauna and Nourished Life for a long time and wanted to help these businesses flourish into the future. We recognize there is a lot of work to be done; with our experience in e-commerce, health, wellness and natural beauty, we are confident we are the right custodians of these purpose-driven brands.”
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