Investment manager Artemis is to launch a new consumer brand-focused fund tomorrow, Friday 1 December.

The Artemis Funds (LUX) – Leading Consumer Brands fund will hold between 25 and 35 stocks in a global portfolio.

It will be managed by Swetha Ramachandran, with the support of Artemis’ head of global equities Alex Stanić and emerging markets expert Natasha Ebtehadj.

All three are senior members of the company’s wider global equities team.

Ms Ramachandran is based in London and joined Artemis in early September from GAM, where she had been investment director of the GAM Luxury Brands Fund since 2019.

She spent more than 11 years at GAM, having started her investment career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2006.

Artemis says the fund will tap into what it sees as an increased appetite from the growing middle classes worldwide for consumer brands.

Ms Ramachandran said: “Consumer brands touch every part of our lives, and our appetite for them is growing. The rise of the middle class in emerging markets is seeing consumption shift eastwards. The demographics are changing, too, as younger generations with a sustainability focus on buying less but buying better are turning to great brands in different areas – from gaming to experiences. 

“We believe structural forces give this investment theme a significant tailwind, and we have faith in the power of brands to generate superior shareholder returns over the long term.”

The founders’ share class will charge 51 basis points in annual management charges.

The fund will be available in sterling, dollar and euro share classes.

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.