Silverfleet hopes Office is a perfect fit

Office, the shoe retailer which has 75 stores and made a profit of £18.5m in 2009, has been bought by a private equity investor for nearly £150m from the entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter.

Silverfleet Capital entered exclusive talks with Sir Tom's investment vehicle to buy Office last month and confirmed the deal yesterday.

Gareth Whiley, at Silverfleet Capital, said: "The young fashion sector of the footwear market is growing fast and there is still room for a rollout of stores within the UK and potentially overseas."