ENK Announces Acquisition of WSA

ENK International, the New York trade-show organizer whose shows include Fashion Coterie, Intermezzo Collections, Sole Commerce, Accessories Circuit, Brighte Companies and Blue, announced its acquisition of WSA Global Holdings, the producer of the biannual World Shoe Association show and its luxury show-within-a-show, The Collections at WSA. WSA Global Holdings, based in Encino, Calif., provides marketing services for the footwear and accessories market and produces WSAToday, a trade publication, and WSAToday.com.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Elyse Kroll, founder and chairman of ENK, and Luis Padilla, ENK’s president, will remain with the company. Skip Farber, WSA’s chief executive, and Diane Stone, WSA’s chief operating officer, will also retain their posts.

“We consider the combination of these two great companies to be the perfect storm of ’best in class’ leadership and marketing in the fashion trade-show industry. We are very excited about the growth opportunities for this combination,” said Theodore J. Forstmann, a senior partner at Forstmann Little & Co., which in 2006 purchased a majority stake in ENK. Kroll remains a principal shareholder with the company.

In a statement, Kroll said the combined ENK-WSA company would focus on accelerating its growth. “The strength of the ENK and WSA brands and the value we bring to our customers provide many avenues for growth, and we intend to leverage this remarkable platform to significantly grow the business while maintaining continuity and stability of our valuable customer relationships,” she said.

Forstmann Little owns IMG Worldwide, the entertainment and media company that produces Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York and Los Angeles. Kroll said the new ENK-WSA company will collaborate with IMG’s IMG Fashion division on several projects.

ENK was founded in 1981 by Kroll and produces nine fashion and accessories trade shows. The 59-year-old WSA Show is one of the largest footwear and related accessories shows in the world. Its twice-yearly show in Las Vegas attracts more than 36,000 attendees and nearly 1,600 exhibitors.—Erin Barajas