Authentic Brands Group is an American brand development and licensing company based out of New York, NY. In conjunction with Leonard Green & Partners, ABG's mandate is to acquire, manage and build long-term value in prominent consumer brands. ABG owns such consumer brands as Juicy Couture, Jones New York, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Prince Tennis, Tapout, Hickey Freeman, Judith Leiber and several others. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Sears, Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, J. C. Penney and Walmart.
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Business model
Authentic Brands Group purchases brands in the sports, celebrity, men's fashion and women's fashion categories and licenses the intellectual property to leading retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and direct-to-consumer channels worldwide.
Management
Jamie Salter is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ABG. Prior to ABG, Jamie was the CEO of Hilco Consumer Capital Corp. (“HCC”) and he previously served as President of GSI. Brands that Jamie has controlled or partnered in include Marilyn Monroe, Tapout, Prince Tennis, Hickey Freeman, Hart Schaffner Marx, Palm Beach, Misook, Christopher Blue, Sportcraft, Ride Snowboards, Polaroid, House of Marley (Bob Marley), Sharper Image, Airwalk, Tommy Armour Golf, Caribbean Joe, Halston, Bombay, Ellen Tracy, Sims, VisionStreet Wear, Sinister, Iron Star, Hitman, Silver Star, Linens 'N Things, Lamar, LTD Snowboards, Ultra Wheels, Hespeler hockey, Volant Ski Company and Ram Golf.
Nick Woodhouse is the President and Chief Marketing Officer of Authentic Brands Group, overseeing the company’s global sales, marketing and digital media strategies, as well as ABG’s strategic planning and execution. Prior to ABG, Nick Woodhouse helped grow Canadian retailer Forzani Group Ltd. from $55 million to $1.7 billion in annual sales.
Kevin Clarke, Chief Financial Officer
List of ABG brands
ABG's primary brands include:
History
Authentic Brands Group also owns various Zip Brands including Stonewool, Society, SilverStar, Sinister, Hitman Fight Gear, Iron Star, Worn, Softwear, Eye, Monarchy, En route, Linea, Keithmoor, Harris & Hobbs, GTO, Travel Aire, Trumpeter, Sterling & Hunt, W&J, Cambridge, ProSlack, Wallachs, Gilbert & Lodge, Matteo Maas, Graham & Gunn, Manchester Esc., Jaymar, B. Chyll, Dash, NaturaLife, Biscayne, Blue House Drive, One Girl Who, Zooey, The Pursuit of Harmony, Hawksley & Wight, Ebbe, Barrie Pace, BCCS, Lady Nash, Parktown, Sansabelt, Viking, Ektelon, Garden of Earthly Delights and Style, Quality, Service & Design.
On October 7, 2013, Authentic Brands Group announced the purchase of Juicy Couture from Fifth & Pacific for $195 million. On November 14, 2013, Authentic Brands Group announced plans to bring the brand to Kohl’s stores nationwide and Kohls.com, beginning in fall 2014.
On November 19, 2013, Authentic Brands Group announced the purchase of the estate of Muhammad Ali that would include all of Ali's intellectual property, including the largest library of photos and videos of the boxer in existence.