Laura Ashley acquired by Marquee Brands
Laura Ashley has been acquired by Marquee Brands from Gordon Brothers.
Following the purchase, the legacy home, fashion and lifestyle brand will be integrated into Marquee Brands’ portfolio with a fully licensed operating model spanning the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and other markets across Asia. In addition, Marquee Brands will drive new business across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, EMEA and other key regions.
With Laura Ashley’s UK based teamed retained following the acquisition, Marquee Brands said the purchase will expand its own global footprint with the opening of its first European headquarters in London.
Heath Golden, chief executive of Marquee Brands, said: “Laura Ashley’s licensed business model and robust group of high-quality partners makes the brand a seamless addition to Marquee Brands.
“We are excited to harness the strong affinity for this iconic brand and drive expansion across new platforms and partnerships
Never Miss a Retail Update!“With the existing UK team in place, we are primed and ready to leverage Laura Ashley’s seven-decade legacy to unlock its future potential as a full lifestyle brand innovating new products and categories, offering unique collaborations and engaging multi-generational audiences in key markets worldwide.”
Founded in 1953, Laura Ashley operates in more than 200 lifestyle categories through a network of over 100 licensed partners with products available at thousands of points of sale. It was acquired by Gordon Brothers out of insolvency in 2020 and since then the brand has been working to build a scalable licensing business and global ecommerce presence.
Tobias Nanda, head of brands at Gordon Brothers, said: “We could not be prouder of Laura Ashley’s growth under Carolyn D’Angelo’s leadership, the former president of Laura Ashley, and know the brand is in the right hands for continued global growth under Marquee Brands’ leadership.”
Marquee Brands’ 17-strong portfolio includes the likes of Ben Sherman, Totes and Bruno Magli.
Over the last year the company has bolstered its executive team with the appointments of Rachel Terrace as chief commercial and growth officer, John Hayes as chief financial officer, Joseph Zarro as chief business development officer and Natasha Fishman as chief marketing officer.
