Switzerland’s biggest watch maker, Swatch Group AG, will pay about $1 billion to acquire Canada’s Harry Winston watch and jewelry brand, officials from both companies said Monday.
The company has agreed to pay $750 million to acquire the brand from Toronto-based Harry Winston Diamond Corp. and will also assume as much as $250 million in debt, a joint statement said. The acquisition includes the Harry Winston production company in Geneva and more than 500 employees globally. Swatch Group’s chairwoman, Nayla Hayek, said the addition of a jewelry-watch brand “brilliantly complements the prestige segment” of Swatch’s portfolio, helping it compete against luxury watch makers.
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