Natural beauty and wellness company BWX is to acquire Australian online retailer Flora & Fauna. It is estimated that the acquisition will cost between $27.9 and $30.8 million.
Flora & Fauna is a platform with a focus on vegan and sustainable products, founded in 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Since then, its customer base has grown to over 94,000 people. It offers more than 300 brands in a range of categories, from food to beauty and personal care.
The company is a certified B Corp and offsets all the carbon emissions it produces.
Following the acquisition, Flora & Fauna will operate alongside BWX’s e-commerce business Nourished Life. The two will form a new unit within the BWX group. Flora & Fauna’s 47 employees, along with co-founder and CEO Julie Mathers, will remain with the business. The acquisition is expected to be completed in July.
Online vegan retail is booming, with British online supermarket TheVeganKind achieving its £300,000 funding target within two days last year and amassing millions in annual sales. In the US, GTFO It’s Vegan has launched to fill a similar role.
“We know that consumers are placing increasing value on sustainable lifestyle choices, as well as direct-to-consumer convenience,” BWX CEO and managing director David Fenlon told Business News Australia. “With these two fast-growing online platforms, BWX intends to remain at the forefront of the global wellness revolution and is focused on continuing to evaluate opportunities further to enhance and grow its direct-to-consumer offering.”