The Parentinc acquires luxury maternity brand Motherswork as it eyes IPO

Parent-tech company The Parentinc, which operates media brand theAsianparent, announced its acquisition of Motherswork, a luxury retail brand for mum, baby, and kids’ products, for an undisclosed sum yesterday (January 18).

The acquisition signifies a pivotal moment for The Parentinc as the company positions itself on a trajectory towards an initial public offering (IPO) by bolstering its commitment to building a self-sustaining content, community, and commerce ecosystem for parents in Southeast Asia.

While The Parentinc has established remarkable success online, Motherswork will play a pivotal role in expanding the company’s offline presence by opening up more Motherswork stores in key markets in the region, including Vietnam, where The Parentinc’s homegrown brand, Mama’s Choice, will be distributed exclusively by Motherswork.

Motherswork currently operates two stores in Singapore, coupled with presence in department stores, as well as 10 stores in China. The company offers a curated selection of over 300 parenthood brands, with the exclusive distribution of 20 brands including Avent, Joolz and Stokke.

While we have done a dramatic job of capturing the hearts and minds of the online market, 70 per cent of retail in Southeast Asia is still predominantly done offline. That’s why we are very excited to have our own brand stores through this acquisition as it will further refine our content to community to commerce business model, which not many companies have pulled off successfully.

Roshni Mahtani Cheung, the Group CEO and Founder of The Parentinc, adds that the company also intends to bring its offering of media solutions to all of its partners at Motherswork to “improve the lives of mums and help them raise happy, healthy, and confident kids”.

The Parentinc has raised over US$38 million to date

Roshni first founded the Asianparent as a parenting blog in 2009. Over the years, the Asianparent has grown from a parenting blog to a multinational company that provides resources for a community of over 30 million parents across seven Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

In 2019, it launched its first D2C brand Mama’s Choice, which offers safe, natural, and Halal products for pregnancy, nursing, baby care, and household use. In 2022, the firm acquired Webtretho, Vietnam’s largest online community platform for women.

To date, The Parentinc has raised over US$38 million, with a valuation of US$140 million as of its Series D funding round back in 2022. The firm’s investors include East Ventures, JD.com, Tigris Capital, Vertex Ventures, and WHG Holdings.

Featured Image Credit: The ParentInc