Kate Spade & Co. has been acquired by Coach Inc., the New York-based design house of purses, accessories and lifestyle brands.

Under the terms of the transaction, Kate Spade shareholders will receive $18.50 per share in cash for a total transaction value of $2.4 billion, according to a company statement. The transaction represents a 27.5 percent premium to the unaffected closing price of Kate Spade’s shares as of Dec. 27, 2016, the company said.

“Kate Spade has a truly unique and differentiated brand positioning with a broad lifestyle assortment and strong awareness among consumers, especially millennials,” said Victor Luis, chief executive officer of Coach Inc. “Through this acquisition, we will create the first New York-based house of modern luxury lifestyle brands, defined by authentic, distinctive products and fashion innovation.”

The combination of Coach Inc. and Kate Spade & Co. will “create a leading luxury lifestyle company with a more diverse multi-brand portfolio,” the company said. The $2.4 billion purchase price is expected to be funded by a combination of senior notes, bank term loans and approximately $1.2 billion of excess Coach cash.

A portion of that cash will be used to repay an expected $800 million six-month term loan.

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The renovation of Jekyll Island's Great Dunes golf course includes nine holes designed by Walter Travis in the 1920s for the members of the Jekyll Island Club. Several holes that were part of the original layout where located along the beach and were bulldozed in the 1950s.(Photo by Austin Kaseman)

Credit: Photo by Austin Kaseman