The Parentinc Seals Acquisition of Majority Stake in Luxury Retailer Motherswork

Parent-tech firm The Parentinc has acquired a majority stake in the premium mom and baby retailer Motherswork. The acquisition, made for an undisclosed sum, was jointly announced, integrating The Parentinc into the luxury parenting retail space. 

The Parentinc, recognized as a parent-tech firm, oversees the operation of theAsianparent, a prominent content and community platform designed for parents in Southeast Asia. Additionally, The Parentinc’s diverse brand ecosystem extends to include Mama’s Choice and Webtretho, Vietnam’s largest online community platform for women, acquired in 2022. 

The acquisition of Motherswork by The Parentinc is structured as a combination of cash and equity tranched over three years. The deal will ultimately result in The Parentinc holding full ownership of the Singapore-based premium mom-and-baby retailer. 

The undisclosed investment is said to be a crucial step in The Parentinc’s journey towards an IPO, emphasizing its focus on creating a robust and interconnected platform that caters to the various aspects of parenting in the region. Mamaearth’s IPO valuation stands at US$1.2 billion, while FirstCry eyes a valuation between US$3.5 billion and US$3.75 billion after filing for IPO in December 2023.

Backed by investors such as East Ventures, Line Southeast Asia, JD.com, and Thailand’s Central Retail Corporation, The Parentinc has raised over US$38 million to date, achieving a valuation of US$140 million in its series D funding round in 2022, as reported by Alternatives.pe.

Sharon Wong, CEO and founder of Motherswork, will continue to lead the company along with the existing team under The Parentinc’s ownership. This acquisition is a crucial step for The Parentinc in extending its reach offline, with plans to open more Motherswork stores in key markets across Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. 

Roshni Mahtani Cheung, Group CEO and Founder of The Parentinc, stated, “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.”

“We are also equally enthusiastic to bring our offering of media solutions to all of the partners at Motherswork, aiming to improve the lives of mums and help them raise happy, healthy, and confident kids,” she added. 

Being a well-established entity for premium mother, baby, and kids’ products in Singapore and China, Motherswork sees the acquisition as a gateway to extend its reach into other Southeast Asian countries through The Parentinc.

Founded in 1998 by entrepreneur Sharon Wong, Motherswork has emerged as an omnichannel retailer specializing in premium mother, baby, and children’s products. The brand has two stores in Singapore and an additional ten in China.