Expansion of portfolio of licensees will be among focuses for new owner of British lifestyle brand.
British lifestyle brand, Laura Ashley has been acquired by Gordon Brothers, a global advisory, restructuring and investment company.
The company confirmed yesterday (April 22) that it had acquired the global Laura Ashley brand, archives and related IP from its UK administrators.
Gordon Brothers is now looking to “reignite” the brand, with the expansion of the portfolio of licensees and franchisees globally being one of the focuses.
It also intends to place a ‘strong emphasis’ on building ecommerce and developing more strategic wholesale relationships.
Gordon Brothers will also examine the possibility of whether the brand could retain a streamlined portfolio of retail stores in key markets in the UK and Ireland.
“Laura Ashley is a true giant among British lifestyle brands, possessing a unique ability to span geographies, product categories, and price points,” commented Ramez Toubassy, president of brands for Gordon Brothers. “We feel humbled and inspired by the responsibility to reignite Mrs. Ashley’s original vision while delivering unique and contemporary products to both long-time followers and new customers from around the world.”
Rob Lewis, joint administrator of several of the Laura Ashley group companies in the UK, added: “Throughout this process, Gordon Brothers has shown a passion for the Laura Ashley brand and I am delighted that, under their ownership, there will be a real opportunity to grow its profile worldwide.
“Whilst we have taken an important step forward in securing the sale of the brand, we continue to explore opportunities to reshape the UK store based retail and manufacturing businesses and are very grateful for the efforts of the entire team at Laura Ashley in helping us with those discussions.”
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