A.B. Lambdin, a $15 million swimsuit cataloger, has been sold to ABL Holdings Corp., an entity formed specifically for the deal. ABL’s principals, Houshang and Monir Jalili, are the founders of Irvine, CA-based women’s apparel merchant Carabella.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. New York-based West. Cos. and James Adams Inc. represented the selling shareholders.
A.B. Lambdin had been owned by women’s apparel merchant The Tog Shop. Both titles had been put up for sale by the heirs of Tog Shop founder Emory Rylander earlier this year. Rival cataloger/retailer Appleseed’s had purchased the brand name and customer list of the Tog Shop brand this past summer.
For the Jalilis, according to a source familiar with the businesses, the key selling point of A.B. Lambdin was its 185,000-sq.-ft. distribution center and call center in Americus, GA. The facility, which includes 25,000 sq. ft. of bulk storage, sits on 23 acres. The Carabella catalog will now be fulfilled from the Americus distribution center.
Although both titles specialize in swimwear, Carabella caters to women in their 20s and early 30s, while A.B. Lambdin targets more-mature women. Carabella has a more sizable fall and winter business than A.B. Lambdin, thanks to its expansion into evening wear, casual clothing, and even outerwear.