Brentwood acquires J. McLaughlin

Private equity investment firm Brentwood has acquired J. McLaughlin, the multi-channel retailer of classic American sportswear. Found in 1977, the Brooklyn-based company prides itself on themes of both casual and formal American wear. Bright colors and prints are major themes in all of the brand's garments, and across both their men's and women's wear.

When the brand was founded by brothers Kevin and Jay McLaughlin, their idea was that they'd create an American sportswear brand and build it on the concept of creating classic clothes with current relevance. The company is very selective about their real estate offerings, as true to the two brothers desires, they want to ensure that every retail location has a warm residential feel.

The company currently operates 103 brick-and-mortar locations along the East Coast, Texas, California, and various cities in the Midwest. Their e-commerce business, www.jmclaughlin.com, has been seeing growth as well.

Brentwood Associates adds J. McLaughlin to their portfolio

"J.McLaughlin offers distinct, timeless merchandise, and it's a perfect fit for Brentwood and our investment strategy. We see a significant opportunity to continue growing the company across all channels of distribution, by both increasing the current retail footprint and investing in the company's direct marketing efforts, both online and offline," said Steve Moore, a partner at Brentwood. "We have enjoyed working with the J.McLaughlin management team, and we are excited to build upon the solid foundation that the team has created."

Brentwood Associates boasts an impressive 1.4 billion dollars of capital management under their belt. For J. McLaughlin, a company with a strong retail presence that doesn't have quite that household name status, this partnership could be excellent for them. Brentwood Associates' expertise is growing businesses, including specialty retail stores and e-commerce businesses.

The company lists luxury men's retail footwear brand Allen Edmonds as one of their current investments, so they are no stranger to helping high quality brands grow.

In a statement, Roger Goddu, a partner at Brentwood Associates said "J.McLaughlin is an emerging lifestyle brand with an impressive following of loyal customers in sophisticated urban neighborhoods, affluent suburban main streets and resort destinations." He went on to add that, "We are thrilled to be partnering with the company and plan to leverage the strength of the brand to accelerate the company's growth."

photo:theredish.com