manager_1 One business trend that has been prominent in the news this year is acquisitions. Diverse fashion companies seem to be active in the acquisition game while other companies were presented an opportunity they couldn’t refuse. These were the top 2021 acquisitions.
Levi Strauss & Beyond Yoga has a new owner
The August acquisition agreement between Levi Strauss & Co. and Beyond Yoga. Although the activewear market was already growing before the pandemics, many people now see it as a smart move to invest in activewear. The amount of money involved in the acquisition is not known.
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. acquired Sweaty Betty
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. made a similar move when it acquired British activewear brand Sweaty Betty. The activewear brand was to be purchased for 344 million euros. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. stated that the acquisition of Sweaty Betty “complements our strategic change from a traditional footwear wholesaler into a consumer-obsessed, digitiz-focused growth company in the recent years.”
Fashion Cloud is now the new owner of Stockbase
Stockbase is now owned by Fashion Cloud, a B2B platform. Both parties will be able to benefit from each other’s networks to connect more retailers and brands. Stockbase allows fashion suppliers to sell their stock online to retailers. Fashion Cloud connects over 15.00 retailers with 500 brands via its online platform. Stephan Bliek, founder of Stockbase, has been removed from the company, but will continue to be active as an ambassador for many years.
LVMH acquires majority stake in Off White
LVMH has added Off-White to its portfolio. Virgil Abloh, the founder of Off-White, was no stranger to LVMH. Abloh was actually the creative director at Louis Vuitton. This brand is part of the luxury French luxury group’s portfolio. 60 percent of shares in the brand’s popular brand will be acquired by LVMH, while the rest will remain in Abloh’s family hands. It is unclear how much LVMH will pay to acquire the majority of the shares. Unfortunately, Virgil Abloh, the brand’s founder died in November 2021. Off-White was part of the New Guards Group which is in turn part of Farfetch.
Luxury group Richemont acquires Belgian bag brand Delvaux
Although it was rumored that Delvaux, the iconic Belgian bag brand, would be sold, the question of who will buy the brand has remained unanswered for some time. The news that Richemont, a luxury group, was the winner emerged at the beginning of July. Delvaux shares will be purchased 100 percent, although the price is not known.
Marketplace Etsy acquires Depop, a second-hand fashion marketplace
Another case of ‘we didn’t see it coming’: Fashion marketplace Depop was acquired by handmade goods sales platform Etsy, Inc.. .Etsy pays 1.3 billion euros for Depop. Etsy’s acquisition of Depop means Etsy will be focusing on the resale and Gen Z market.
Etsy, Inc. is a company that likes to make. It continues its acquisitions and announced shortly after the acquisition of Elo7, a Brazilian peer. Elo7 is often called the Brazilian Etsy. This company is funded by the sales platform, which has 182 million euros.
Peek & Cloppenburg moves to Denmark by acquiring Magasin du Nord
The news that German Peek & Cloppenburg had acquired the Danish department store chain Magasin du Nord was announced in May. The latter will remain an independent company. According to the press release, P&C’s position as Europe’s largest multi-brand, omnichannel fashion retailer has been strengthened by the acquisition of its Danish peer.
Fashionette AG now owns Brandfield
German retailer Fashionette AG is strengthening its grip on the Dutch and Belgian markets with the acquisition of e-tailer Brandfield. Brandfield’s acquisition price is not disclosed, however the press release states that it amounts to a ‘lower two-digit’ million.
L Catterton bought Birkenstock
Birkenstock was founded in 1774 and was until recently owned by the family. It was announced at the start of the year that L Catterton, an investment company, and several other companies, including Financiere Agache (a family holding company founded by Bernard Arnault), would take a majority stake. Birkenstock described the deal as a strategic partnership that will open a new chapter in the company’s history.
OTB acquires fashion house Jil Sander
After rumours about a Jil Sander takeover by the Italian OTB Group for some time, it took a while to get the confirmation. However, no price was given. Jil Sander was previously owned by Japanese conglomerate Onward Holdings.
Boohoo: Debenhams’ new owners, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, and Burton are on the takeover path
Boohoo Plc moves at the beginning of the year. The e-tail group will first acquire retailer Debenhams for just under 62 million euros. Although Debenhams is best known for its brick-and mortar department stores, this deal will not save them. Boohoo Plc wanted to create an online marketplace called Debenhams.
A few weeks later Boohoo had just over 29 million euros to deposit for three brands of the ailing fashion company Arcadia. Boohoo Plc now has Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis. Boohoo Plc’s brand acquisitions have helped it grow significantly over the years.
Asos acquires Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and Hiit
Another e-tailer is on the takeover trail. Asos Plc will purchase the Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands from Arcadia in February. Asos Plc purchases the brands for 300 million euros and takes control of the brands’ stock for 34 million euros. The physical stores will not be saved, just as with Debenhams by Boohoo Plc’s takeover.
Signa Holding and Central Group acquire Selfridges Group
Signa Holding and Central Group announced this month the takeover of Selfridges Group. Signa and Central Group formed a joint venture that has resulted in the acquisition of Selfridges Group. Although the price has not been revealed, media reports suggested that it was in the region of 4 billion pounds.
The deal means that not only are the Selfridge department shops in new hands but also the Brown Thomas Arnotts and Bijenkorf department stores. It is not known what this will mean for department store owners. The new owners have a lot of experience in luxury retail, as Signa has Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, Globus, and KaDeWe. Central Group also owns Illum and Rinascente.
Several media outlets rumoured the possible takeover of Selfridges Group in mid-2021.
Reebok purchased by Authentic Brands Group
Reebok was a takeover that was long in coming. Although it was obvious that Adidas AG owned the brand, the fact that Authentic Brands Group became the new owner was somewhat surprising. ABG bought the brand for 2.1 billion euros.
Nike acquires Metaverse company RTFKT
In the fourth quarter of 2021, investments in the metaverse have exploded. RTFKT, which specializes in experiences and products within the metaverse, was purchased by Nike Inc. RTFKT employs the most recent techniques in gaming engines and NFTs to create unique virtual experiences and products. The amount that the technology company is paid by the sports company is unknown.
SP Collection acquires luxury brand Roland Mouret
Roland Mouret’s acquisition is a news item that has been reprinted in full. SP Collection, a newly formed company, has saved the luxury brand. Han Chong, founder of Self-portrait, is behind the new company. The deal will not affect Roland Mouret’s employees and stores. The purchase price is unknown.
French Connection in the hands consortium
French Connection Plc finally finds a buyer after a long search. The company was in desperate need of a rescuer since 2018. MIP Holdings Ltd. is the name of the consortium. Apinder Singh Ghura is a major shareholder in French Connection and was one of the bidders. Stephan Marks, the founder of French Connection, was forced to sell the company.
G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. acquires Sonia Rykiel
Sonia Rykiel’s story has a surprising new chapter. The company has been resold a year and a quarter after it was saved by Eric and Michael Dayan. This change will allow Sonia Rykiel, who was relaunched in 2020, to grow its business faster.
Klarna takes over Inspirock
Klarna, a payment service, enters the world of travel thanks to Inspirock’s acquisition. Klarna’s striking move is because Inspirock, which isn’t a payment service but a travel planning tool, is Inspirock. Users of Klarna should be able to plan and shop for trips by bundling Klarna with Inspirock. The purchase price will not be revealed.
Farfetch buys Luxclusif, a resale business
Farfetch Limited’s focus remains on resale, with the acquisition of Luxclusif. It will be the owner of the resale business in 2021 for an unknown amount. Luxclusif, a B2B tech-driven platform that uses data and technology to facilitate the sale and purchase of second-hand luxury fashion, is Luxclusif.
Crocs, Inc. is now the new owner of Heydude’s shoe brand
Crocs, Inc will acquire Heydude, an Italian casual shoe brand, at the end 2021. Crocs paid 2.2 billion euros to acquire the brand. Crocs’ existing knowledge and infrastructure will be used to grow Heydude.
Both optical chains VistaSi and Eyewish have new owners
In order to satisfy the conditions for the merger, GrandVision and EssilorLuxottica had to sell a portion of their portfolio. GrandVision has been under EssilorLuxottica’s purview for over two years. One of those conditions was the .sale stores and chains in Italy and the Netherlands.
