Authentic Brands Group LLC (ABG) is an American
brand management
In marketing, brand management begins with an analysis on how a brand is currently perceived in the market, proceeds to planning how the brand should be perceived if it is to achieve its objectives and continues with ensuring that the brand is pe ...
company headquartered in New York City. Its holdings include various apparel, athletics, and entertainment brands, for which it partners with other companies to license and merchandise. ABG owns more than 50 consumer brands, as well as the likeness rights or estates of celebrities, including
Muhammad Ali,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, and
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
.
History
The company was founded in 2010 by
Jamie Salter, after he stepped down as CEO of Hilco Consumer Capital, a company that was involved in the restructuring of struggling consumer brands (such as
Bombay Company
The Bombay Company is an American furniture and home accessories retailer owned (since 2011) by Hermes-Otto International USA LLC. At one time a chain of over 500 stores headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Bombay Company was relaunched in 2012 as a ...
and
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid is an American company best known for its instant film and cameras. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit the use of its Polaroid polarizing polymer. Land ran the company until 1981. Its peak employment was 21,0 ...
).
Salter invested US$250 million in the new venture, and the majority of the equity was sold to
Leonard Green & Partners
Leonard Green & Partners ("LGP") is an American private equity investment firm founded in 1989 and based in Los Angeles. The firm specializes in private equity investments. LGP has invested in over 95 companies since its inception, including Petc ...
.
Two of ABG's first major purchases were the clothing brands Silver Star and
Tapout.
In January 2011, Authentic Brands Group acquired rights to the likeness of
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
.
In October 2013, ABG announced the purchase of
Juicy Couture
Juicy Couture is an American casualwear and dress clothing brand based in Arleta, Los Angeles, California. Best known for their iconic velour tracksuits which became a luxury staple in the 2000s, the company was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and ...
from
Fifth & Pacific for US$195 million. The following month, ABG acquired the estate of
Muhammad Ali, and
CORE Media Group
Industrial Media, LLC (formerly CKX, Inc., and CORE Media Group, Inc.) is an American company founded on February 7, 2005 that owns and develops entertainment content and intellectual property.
History Sports Entertainment Enterprises, Inc. era
...
's 85% stake in
Elvis Presley Enterprises
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is a corporate entity created by "The Elvis Presley Trust" to conduct business and manage its assets, including Graceland. (which includes the estate of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, likeness rights, and music publishing assets).
In December 2015, basketball player
Shaquille O'Neal signed with ABG to manage his likeness and marketing rights. In September 2016,
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
also sold his name and licensing rights to ABG, and
Aéropostale was purchased out of bankruptcy by a consortium that included ABG and other investors.
In March 2017, ABG became the controlling partner of
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournament ...
's consumer products business.
In March 2018, ABG announced that they would acquire
Nautica
Nautica is an American apparel brand of Authentic Brands Group featuring primarily men's, women's, children's apparel and accessories, as well as home, watches, and fragrance. Nautica was founded in 1983 by clothing designer David Chu and a par ...
from
VF Corporation
VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 13 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Wor ...
. On June 10, 2018, ABG announced that it was the winning bidder for the intellectual property of
Nine West Holdings. The acquisition was completed on July 3, 2018. On October 10, 2018, ABG announced that it had entered into an agreement to purchase a majority stake in the intellectual property of the Camuto Group's proprietary brands in partnership with DSW Inc.
In May 2019, ABG announced its acquisition of sports magazine
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
from
Meredith Corporation for US$110 million. The company stated it planned to leverage its
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...
s and other non-core assets in new ventures. Meredith will continue to publish the ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine and digital properties under license for at least two years. On June 18, 2019, it was announced that rights to publish the ''Sports Illustrated'' editorial operations would be licensed to The Maven under a 10-year deal, with
Ross Levinsohn
Ross B. Levinsohn (born 1962/1963) is an American media executive who has worked in media and technology. He is the CEO of The Arena Group and ''Sports Illustrated'', and has held senior roles at Yahoo, Fox Interactive and Tribune Publishing, i ...
as CEO. In August 2019,
BlackRock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with trill ...
became the largest shareholder in Authentic Brands.
In May 2020, ABG and David Glasser's 101 Studios formed a joint venture, Sports Illustrated Studios, for feature film and television projects. The joint venture would have a slate of several TV series and films per year. The first announced project was the ''Covers'' two-hour docuseries based on the magazine's cover stories.
In August 2020, it was announced that
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...
was sold to ABG and
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in India ...
, the biggest mall operator in the US. The new owners committed to continue to operate at least 125 Brooks Brothers retail locations, worldwide (down from 424 global locations before the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
).
In June 2021, it was announced that ABG would acquire the
Izod
The Izod Corporation (officially stylized as IZOD) is an American midrange clothing company that produces dressy-casual clothing, sportswear for men, and footwear and accessories. It is a division of Authentic Brands Group, and is currently m ...
,
Van Heusen,
Arrow, and
Geoffrey Beene
Geoffrey Beene (born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.; August 30, 1924 – September 28, 2004) was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creati ...
brands from
PVH.
In July 2021, ABG filed for an estimated US$1.5 billion
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...
.
In August 2021, it was announced that ABG would be acquiring the sports clothing brand
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
from
Adidas for at least US$2.5 billion, in a deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
Private equity companies
CVC Capital Partners and HPS Investment Partners invested $3.5 billion in ABG in a deal that closed in November 2021. ABG announced they would delay the IPO until 2023 or 2024.
Portfolio
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Lion Capital
2010 establishments in New York City
American companies established in 2010
Branding companies of the United States
Conglomerate companies of the United States
CVC Capital Partners companies
Marketing companies established in 2010
Privately held companies based in New York City