By Gavin Lower
MELBOURNE--Altamont Capital Partners has tapped a former chief
executive of sunglasses maker Oakley Inc. to join its 526.8 million
Australian dollar (US$555.8 million) bid with VF Corp. (VFC) for
Australian surfwear company Billabong International Ltd. (BBG.AU),
a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
David Scott Olivet, a clothing industry veteran and former vice
president at Nike Inc. (NKI), will work with private equity firm
Altamont as it seeks to acquire a range of brands from Billabong
such as Tigerlily, Element and Von Zipper, the person said.
VF Corp., which owns brands such as Timberland and North Face,
said in a statement late Monday it will take Billabong's namesake
brand if its A$1.10-a-share offer with Altamont succeeds.
Mr. Olivet is currently a director of headphones company
Skullcandy Inc. (SKUL), and was chief executive of Oakley between
2005 and 2009 before moving into the chairman's role through
November 2011.
Write to Gavin Lower at gavin.lower@wsj.com
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