Private equity firm KPS Partners has won an auction to purchase substantially all of the assets of tableware and collectibles merchant Lenox Group. Terms of the deal, which is subject to the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, were not disclosed.
The sale does not include the Department 56 business, which, as a standalone company, had purchased Lenox in 2005 for $196 million cash. Department 56 is scheduled for a separate auction process to be held soon, according to KPS.
Lenox Group, which had been looking for a buyer for more than a year, filed for Chapter 11 in November. In addition to the namesake brand, Lenox produces the Dansk and Gorham brands of tabletop and gifts.
The company distributes its products to resellers as well as sells directly to consumers via its Lenox Collection catalog and Website. It also operates about a dozen outlet stores.