Authentic Brands Group acquires Hunter
Authentic Brands Group’s buying spree continues.
The brand management firm said it has acquired the intellectual property of Hunter, the heritage British brand best known for its iconic Wellington boot. The167-year-old company has evolved into a lifestyle brand, with an expansive footwear collection as well as outerwear, bags and accessories designed for wear in both rural and urban environments.
The deal follows Authentic’s reported $1.3 billion acquisition of Boardriders, the parent company of Quiksilver and Billabong among others, which is expected to be finalized in the third quarter. It also comes on the heels of Authentic’s partnership with Vince Holding Corp. to acquire the Vince brand intellectual property.
“We are excited to finalize the acquisition of Hunter, an original footwear and outerwear pioneer,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic. “At the intersection of fashion and outdoor, Hunter introduces another elevated global brand to Authentic’s diverse Lifestyle portfolio.
In conjunction with its acquisition of Hunter, Authentic Brands said it has entered into a partnership with U.K.-based product development, design, sourcing and distribution firm The Batra Group. Under the terms of the deal, Batra will become the core licensee for Authentic in the U.K. and continental Europe, and be responsible for designing and developing Hunter footwear, apparel and accessories and operating Hunter’s branded retail stores, wholesale distribution and e-commerce in those territories.
Authentic has also signed an agreement with U.S.-based partner Marc Fisher Footwear under which the company will be the core footwear partner for Hunter in the U.S., taking on the brand’s footwear design, wholesale and e-commerce operations in this country.
“We are also pleased to expand our relationships with two long-standing Authentic partners, Batra Group and Marc Fisher, each of whom has a proven track record of unparalleled expertise in product development across a range of categories and an established network of prominent retailers,” Salter said. We will look forward to working with them and our greater partner network to continue growing the Hunter brand.”
In a release, Authentic said the addition of Hunter drives the company’s strategy of diversifying its portfolio with brands that originate from outside of the U.S.
"Authentic will tap its global network of category experts and best-in-class operating partners to accelerate the worldwide expansion of Hunter in the U.S. and Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as key markets across Asia the Pacific region,” the company stated.
Headquartered in New York City, Authentic owns a portfolio of more than 40 lifestyle, entertainment and media brands that include Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, Forever 21 and Ted Baker just to name a few.
Authentic’s brands generate more than $25 billion in global annual retail sales and have a retail footprint in 150 countries, including 10,800-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops and 380,000 points of sale.