Fund manager Artemis is planning to launch a new fund focused on global consumer brands.

The move follows the recruitment of brands expert fund manager Swetha Ramachandran from GAM.

Artemis says it is launching the new fund to tap into the investment potential of changing consumer demands for leading brands around the world.

The fund will aim to benefit from the “evolving generational and geographical appetites for powerful brands,” Artemis says.

The fund will invest in a focused portfolio of between 25 and 35 stocks and will be managed by Swetha Ramachandran, who joined Artemis at the beginning of September from GAM, where she managed the GAM Luxury Brands Fund from 2019.

The fund launch is subject to regulatory approval.

Artemis aims to launch the fund in its SICAV in November, with share classes denominated in sterling, euros and US dollars.

Ms Ramachandran said: “Consumers are changing geographically as well as generationally, with millennials, Gen Z and now Gen Alpha all having distinct preferences.

“The centre of consumer gravity is shifting eastwards with the expansion of the Asian middle class. The growing role of millennial and Gen Z consumers is making the boundaries between ‘luxury’ and ‘premium’ brands more fluid as well.

“And the definition of ‘brand’ is moving away from being transaction-led to more experience-led across all generations. For instance, older consumers with greater disposable income are increasingly seeking to ‘premiumise’ their consumption habits – especially in travel and health and wellness.”  

Alex Stanić, head of global equities at Artemis, said: “We believe this proposed new strategy brings something differentiated for fund selectors, asset allocators and private investors and enables them to tap into Swetha’s knowledge of this exciting space and her understanding of how it is evolving.

Artemis is an independent and owner-managed fund manager. It was launched in 1997 and is now a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) with 30 partners who are fund managers and other key individuals at the firm.