Hong Kong / Los Angeles — Samsonite Group S.A. on August 12, 2026, announced it has signed a binding agreement to buy BÉIS, the direct-to-consumer luggage and lifestyle bag label launched in 2018 by actress and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell. The deal values BÉIS at roughly $210 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with Samsonite paying about $178.5 million for an 85% stake, financed through existing cash and its revolving credit facility.
A digitally native addition to a legacy portfolio
BÉIS built its business largely online, cultivating a following of more than 1.4 million on Instagram and over 619,000 on TikTok through influencer tie-ins, limited-edition drops and direct engagement with customers. Roughly half of its sales come from lifestyle bags rather than traditional luggage — a category Samsonite has identified as a priority growth area.
Samsonite CEO Kyle Gendreau framed the acquisition as a way to broaden the company’s digital reach and its footprint in lifestyle bags, while pointing to BÉIS’s leadership team and brand identity as reasons the company expects to keep much of what has driven its growth intact.
Mitchell, who will remain involved as Founder and Head of Creative and Design, described the sale as the realization of an eight-year effort and said she sees the partnership as a way to expand the brand beyond what it could achieve independently. BÉIS CEO Adeela Hussain Johnson, who has run day-to-day operations since the company’s founding, will continue leading the business and said Samsonite’s scale and operational resources should accelerate growth built on the brand’s existing product and customer base.
Beach House Group, the incubator that helped launch BÉIS and has held the majority ownership stake, is exiting entirely as part of the transaction. Its founder, Shaun Neff, called the outcome a natural next stage for a brand he said stood out from the start.
Deal structure and financials
BÉIS reported approximately $210 million in revenue for 2025. Samsonite said the transaction should have little effect on near-term profitability but expects efficiencies to build over time as BÉIS scales within its broader distribution, sourcing and logistics network.
Mitchell will roll over about half of her current equity stake, leaving her with 15% ownership of BÉIS once the deal closes. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approval and other standard conditions.
BofA Securities is advising Samsonite, with Ropes & Gray serving as legal counsel and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher handling communications. Raymond James is advising BÉIS, with Granderson Des Rochers as legal counsel; Mitchell is separately represented by Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, and Hussain Johnson and Elizabeth Money by Hirschfeld Kraemer.
Context for Conquering
The acquisition extends Samsonite’s existing stable of travel brands — which includes Samsonite, TUMI and American Tourister — into a younger, predominantly female customer base that BÉIS has cultivated since its El Segundo, California founding. It’s the latest example of a legacy manufacturer buying into a social-media-driven, direct-to-consumer brand to accelerate its digital and demographic reach rather than build those capabilities internally.