Lycra is stretchy. The balance sheet of the Shandong Ruyi group, which splurged more than $2bn for a majority stake in the brand, is proving less elastic. The so-called “LVMH of China” spent a total of $5.8bn buying businesses such as Bally of Switzerland, Britain’s Gieves & Hawkes and France’s Sandro, Maje & Claudie Pierlot. That conferred temporary glamour on a business rooted in textile manufacturing. Now it is running out of cash.
莱卡(Lycra)合成纤维很有弹性。而曾斥资20多亿美元买下莱卡多数股权的山东如意(Shandong Ruyi)集团的资产负债表则被证明不那么有弹性。有“manbetx3.0 LVMH”之称的该集团曾共计支出58亿美元,收购了瑞士巴利(Bally)、英国Gieves & Hawkes(见图)以及法国Sandro, Maje & Claudie Pierlot。这给这家从纺织生产起步的集团带来了短暂的荣耀。如今该集团资金枯竭。