Lululemon athletica inc has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MIRROR, an in-home fitness company with an interactive workout platform that features live and on-demand classes. The reported purchase price was $500 million.
MIRROR positions lululemon to accelerate its “Power of Three” growth plan, said the company, which includes driving the business through omni-guest experiences. MIRROR will bolster the company’s digital sweatlife offerings and bring immersive and personalized in-home sweat to new and existing lululemon guests.
“In 2019, we detailed our vision to be the experiential brand that ignites a community of people living the sweatlife through sweat, grow and connect,” said Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald. “The acquisition of MIRROR is an exciting opportunity to build upon that vision, enhance our digital and interactive capabilities, and deepen our roots in the sweatlife. We look forward to learning from and working with Brynn Putnam and the team at MIRROR to accelerate the growth of personalized in-home fitness.”
MIRROR offers weekly live classes and thousands of on-demand workouts as well as immersive one-on-one personal training. MIRROR has seen rapid growth and strong engagement since it launched in 2018 as demand for in-home fitness offerings continue to increase significantly, said the brand.
This transaction builds on an ongoing partnership between the two companies, which began in mid-2019 with an initial investment in MIRROR by Lululemon, and also includes a content partnership which brought sweat and meditation classes to the MIRROR platform by Lululemon’s Global Ambassadors. Lululemon believes this acquisition will further expand the content creation partnership between the two brands and will help lululemon, MIRROR and Lululemon ambassadors reach new guests.
“As part of lululemon, MIRROR can further strengthen its position and accelerate its growth by leveraging lululemon’s deep relationships with its guests, ambassadors and communities, as well as the company’s infrastructure, including its store network and ecommerce channels, to acquire new users,” said Putnam, founder and CEO of MIRROR, and a former lululemon ambassador.
The purchase price is expected to be paid from the company’s primary sources of liquidity, which include over $800 million in cash, its existing $400 million revolving credit facility, and a new one-year, $300 million revolving credit facility.
Following completion of the transaction, MIRROR will operate as a standalone company within Lululemon, and Putnam will continue as MIRROR’s chief executive officer, reporting to McDonald. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2020.
