Who Owns JoJo Maman Bébé?
JoJo Maman Bébé is a well-known UK-based retailer specialising in maternity wear, baby clothing, children’s clothing, and nursery products. The question “who owns JoJo Maman Bébé” relates to the company’s current corporate ownership structure, which changed significantly in 2022 following an acquisition by a consortium. Understanding who owns the brand today involves looking at its history, its acquisition, and the main entities controlling it now.
JoJo Maman Bébé was founded in 1993 by Laura Tenison in Wales as a mail-order business, before expanding into a multichannel retailer operating stores, catalogues, and an e‑commerce platform. Over time it grew into one of the UK’s most recognised mother-and-baby brands, with a substantial store estate across the UK and an online presence serving both domestic and some international customers. According to Companies House records, JoJo Maman Bébé Limited is incorporated in England and Wales under company number 03229999, with its registered office in London, England, confirming it as a UK-registered company. The official corporate record can be verified via the UK government’s Companies House service using the JoJo Maman Bébé Limited listing on the gov.uk register.
The key change in ownership occurred in 2022. In April 2022, it was publicly announced that JoJo Maman Bébé had been acquired by a consortium led by US-based investment firm Next Coast Ventures and UK retailer Next plc. However, those early media reports were superseded by the formal announcement that the acquisition was actually made by a consortium formed of Next plc and investment funds managed by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP. Next is one of the UK’s largest clothing and home retailers, listed on the London Stock Exchange, while Davidson Kempner is a global institutional investment management firm. The deal meant that the founder, Laura Tenison, and existing minority shareholders exited, with the new consortium taking control of the company.
Next plc confirmed in an investor announcement that it had acquired a 44% equity stake in JoJo Maman Bébé, while investment funds managed by Davidson Kempner acquired the remaining 56% stake. This means that JoJo Maman Bébé is privately owned, with Davidson Kempner as the majority shareholder and Next plc as a significant minority shareholder. The details of this share split are set out in Next plc’s own corporate communication to investors, available through the company’s regulatory news releases on the Next plc corporate website and via the London Stock Exchange announcements page, which provide official confirmation of the ownership structure.
Through this transaction, JoJo Maman Bébé became what is often referred to as a “part-owned” or “associate” business of Next plc. According to Next plc’s annual reports and accounts, JoJo Maman Bébé is categorised among its associate or joint venture interests, reflecting Next’s substantial but non-controlling stake. This structure allows Next to support JoJo Maman Bébé with operational expertise, infrastructure, and possible platform synergies, for example through online fulfilment and shared logistics, while Davidson Kempner holds the controlling investment position. The Next annual report, accessible as a PDF via the Next plc investor relations section, provides more detailed information on how this investment is accounted for and confirms that Next does not have full ownership.
Prior to the 2022 acquisition, JoJo Maman Bébé had been majority-owned by its founder and supported by a range of investors over time, including institutional and private shareholders. However, with the sale concluded, these prior shareholders have been bought out. The transaction effectively transferred control to the new consortium. Public sources, including business news reports based on the official corporate announcements, note that JoJo Maman Bébé continues to operate under its own brand and management structure, but now benefits from the financial backing and strategic support of both Davidson Kempner and Next plc.
In terms of corporate domicile and relevance to the UK, JoJo Maman Bébé remains a UK-based company, with its primary operations in the United Kingdom. The brand is widely recognised on UK high streets and in UK retail parks, and its e‑commerce platform is focused on UK consumers, although it may offer international deliveries. The official Companies House listing confirms its registered office address and its status as an active UK company, which is important for verifying that it is still trading and is compliant with UK company law. This listing also provides information on current directors and officers. The most accurate, up-to-date filings can be viewed directly via the Companies House online service for JoJo Maman Bébé Limited, which is the authoritative government source for UK company records.
From the standpoint of who ultimately owns JoJo Maman Bébé now, the ownership structure can be summarised as follows:
• JoJo Maman Bébé Limited is a UK-registered private company.
• A consortium of investors owns the company following an acquisition completed in 2022.
• Investment funds managed by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP hold a 56% majority stake.
• Next plc holds a 44% minority stake, as confirmed in Next plc investor announcements and annual reports.
Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP is a global institutional investment management firm headquartered in New York, with operations in various jurisdictions. Its role is that of a financial investor, and while it does not engage in retail operations directly, it invests in companies across sectors, including retail. Further information about Davidson Kempner can be obtained from its official website and regulatory filings, which confirm its status as a large alternative investment manager.
Next plc, listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker NXT, is a major UK retailer with a strong high street and online presence. Next’s strategy has included acquiring stakes in or forming partnerships with other brands to broaden its portfolio. Its investment in JoJo Maman Bébé fits within this approach of developing a multi-brand platform. Next’s annual report and investor presentations available on its corporate website describe how such associate investments are integrated into its wider retail ecosystem.
For South African relevance, there is no indication from official filings or major business directories that JoJo Maman Bébé is owned by any South African entity, nor is there evidence that its controlling shareholders are based in South Africa. The principal ownership is US-based (Davidson Kempner) and UK-based (Next plc), while JoJo Maman Bébé itself is a UK company. Any presence in South Africa, such as product availability via international shipping or third-party sellers, does not alter its UK corporate ownership structure.
The brand’s official website, accessible at the JoJo Maman Bébé domain, provides consumer-facing information about its products, stores, and customer services, but does not typically go into detail about shareholding structures. For corporate governance, ownership, and legal details, the most reliable sources remain Companies House for UK company registration, the investor relations pages and regulatory announcements of Next plc, and, as relevant, information published by Davidson Kempner on its official site or contained within vetted financial and corporate databases.
With respect to contact details, publicly available consumer contact channels for JoJo Maman Bébé can usually be found on the brand’s own website, including customer service phone numbers and email addresses for shoppers. However, in the context of ownership and shareholder information, direct contact details for the owning investment funds or for shareholding queries specific to JoJo Maman Bébé are not prominently disclosed in official public records or on corporate sites beyond generic corporate contact points. No public contact details found that are specifically and exclusively designated for ownership or shareholder enquiries relating solely to JoJo Maman Bébé outside of general corporate and customer service channels.
In conclusion, for anyone asking “who owns JoJo Maman Bébé” in the UK context, the answer is that JoJo Maman Bébé Limited is a privately owned UK company controlled by a consortium of investors. Majority ownership lies with investment funds managed by Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, and a substantial 44% minority stake is held by UK retailer Next plc, as confirmed by Next’s official regulatory announcements and its published annual reports, as well as by the corroborating entries on the UK government’s Companies House service for JoJo Maman Bébé Limited.
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