Inglesina Baby wins Maclaren prams. And growing despite the demographic crisis
3' min read
3' min read
It has been chosen by celebrities and royal families, it has appeared in television series and dozens of books, it is on display at the MoMA in New York: the Maclaren folding pram, light and manageable, easy to carry because it folds up like an umbrella, revolutionised the way of travelling with children, accompanying generations of parents from the 1970s until a decade ago, when the brand experienced its definitive decline. A decline that, however, did not affect its image or market interest. Now the English brand, which had a turnover of 90 million euros in its heyday, has passed from the portfolio of the family office Armon Limited to the Veneto-based Inglesina Baby, one of the best-known and longest-lived companies in the early childhood sector, famous for its prams with large wheels.
The acquisition, the value of which has not been disclosed, involves the brand alone, with no employees or industrial assets. "We have to start from scratch, enhancing Maclaren's heritage and developing a range of lightweight prams suitable for modern parents: it will be an important project," announce brothers Ivan and Luca Tomasi, president and CEO of the Altavilla Vicentina-based company founded by their father Liviano 61 years ago, which in the post-Covid era has managed to grow despite the collapse in birth rates and difficulties in the junior market.
Inglesina Baby will close 2024 with consolidated revenues close to EUR 85 million (+5%) and, as general manager Michele Sarli explains, an ebitda of around 17-18%, a slight improvement on the previous year. Exports are worth 55%, with the USA, Spain and Greece the main outlets.
"Underlying this is an integration of products and markets," the Tomases explain. Inglesina is strong in the newborn segment, Maclaren on the other hand comes into play when the child grows up and a second pram has to be chosen. The target markets for the British brand - founded by aeronautical engineer Owen Maclaren, who in 1967 developed the B-01, the world's first folding pram, to carry his granddaughter around the British countryside - are the UK, the East and the United States, where Inglesina today sells mainly highchairs for baby feeding and where it aims to expand penetration.
The relaunch will be based on the production chain and logistics that the company has in the Veneto region ('we have in-house processing and a strong network of local suppliers'), to which a new team dedicated to the British brand and a network of agents will be added. "We are also thinking about opening a subsidiary in the United Kingdom, which will coordinate sales and marketing strategies," the shareholders announce.
