Strategic acquisitions and expansions in apparel Q2 2025
This article is part of the Q2 2025 apparel industry report.
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Based on the financial reports and industry news from the second quarter of 2025, here is a summary of the key strategic acquisitions and expansions across the fashion, beauty, and retail sectors announced in the last couple of months.
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Adanola: The British athleisure brand secured a significant minority investment from US-based private equity firm Story3 Capital Partners in a deal valuing the company at 530 million dollars to fuel US expansion.
- American Exchange Group (AXNY Group): The US firm acquired Florida-based womenswear brand Venus for an undisclosed sum, expanding its portfolio of fashion and lifestyle brands.
- Andie: The US swimwear brand acquired comfort-wear label Richer Poorer in its first acquisition, aiming to expand beyond swimwear with a complementary aesthetic.
- Anta Sports acquired German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin from Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. for a base price of 290 million dollars.
- Authentic Brands Group (ABG): The US brand management firm acquired the intellectual property rights of American brand Guess, which will become the second-largest brand in its portfolio. ABG also acquired the Dockers brand from Levi Strauss & Co. for a transaction value of 311 million dollars.
- Beaumanoir Group: The French retail group acquired the brand and 26 stores of struggling French retailer Jennyfer. It also partially acquired competitor Naf Naf, retaining around 300 employees and 12 stores.
- Big 5 Sporting Goods: The US retailer agreed to be acquired and taken private by Worldwide Golf and Capitol Hill Group in a merger agreement valued at 112.7 million dollars.
- Caleres: The US footwear company completed its acquisition of the Stuart Weitzman brand from Tapestry, Inc. for 105 million dollars in an all-cash deal.
- CLO Virtual Fashion: The 3D fashion design software company acquired Swatchbook, a digital materials solutions provider, positioning itself as the largest digital fabric database company.
- Coats Group: The British manufacturing firm acquired US-based OrthoLite, a specialist in insole technology, for 770 million dollars to expand into the footwear components market.
- Dick's Sporting Goods: The US sportswear chain confirmed its acquisition of footwear retailer Foot Locker in a 2.4 billion dollar deal, aiming to create a global sports retail platform.
- EssilorLuxottica: The eyewear giant acquired Optegra, a network of eye clinics, and Automation & Robotics (A&R), a Belgian automated systems manufacturer, to strengthen its supply chain and expand into medical technology.
- Frasers Group: The British retail giant rescued UK tech retailer eBuyer from administration, adding to its growing portfolio of electronics and gaming retailers.
- Gildan Activewear, Inc.: Announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire HanesBrands, Inc. in a transaction implying an enterprise value of approximately 4.4 billion dollars.
- Gordon Brothers: The restructuring and investment firm acquired British budget retailer Poundland, injecting 80 million pounds to support a turnaround plan that includes the closure of 68 stores.
- Head Group: The US-Austrian sports equipment company rescued the scuba diving firm Aqualung Group from receivership, planning a 50 million euro restructuring.
- Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC): The intellectual property of the Canadian retailer was acquired by Canadian Tire Corporation for 30 million Canadian dollars following HBC's liquidation process.
- Inspiration Commerce Group (ICG): Acquired the online marketplace Trouva, adding it to a portfolio that includes Stylight and MyBestBrands.
- Katjes International: The investment arm of the German confectionery company acquired a 60% majority stake in Munich-based luxury clothing supplier Bogner.
- Kontoor Brands: Finalised its 900 million dollar acquisition of outdoor and workwear brand Helly Hansen.
- La Perla: The Italian luxury lingerie brand was acquired out of administration by Peter Kern, former chief executive officer of Expedia, in a deal intended to secure production and jobs.
- Lenskart: The Indian eyewear company acquired an 80% stake in Barcelona-based sunglasses brand Meller for over 40 million euros, marking its first strategic move into the European market.
- Li & Fung: The Hong Kong-based supply chain solutions provider acquired Orrsum, a UK-based company specialising in hosiery, underwear, and loungewear, marking its first acquisition in over a decade.
- Moreschi: The bankrupt Italian luxury footwear brand was acquired by Italian firm Glam Srl and London-based investment fund Imerman Family Office, who plan to modernise the brand.
- MySize, Inc.: The AI-driven sizing solutions company acquired the key assets of Percentil, a European second-hand fashion marketplace, for 679,000 dollars.
- Naver: The South Korean technology company acquired the remaining 70.5% stake in Spanish resale platform Wallapop, valuing the company at 563 million euros.
- Next Plc: The British retail giant acquired maternity brand Seraphine out of administration for 600,000 pounds, including the brand and its intellectual property.
- Prada Group: The Italian luxury group announced it will acquire Versace from Capri Holdings for 1.25 billion euros. The group also acquired a 10% minority stake in leather supplier Rino Mastrotto Group.
- Revolve Group: The US e-commerce retailer is reported to have acquired the intellectual property assets of Australian fashion brand Dion Lee from its administrator.
- SMG Capital: The US investment firm acquired the luxury jewellery brand Fabergé from Gemfields for a sum of 50 million dollars.
- Sumwon Studios: The Dubai-based company, founded by Missguided's Nitin Passi, acquired the Dutch lifestyle brand Balr. after it filed for bankruptcy.
- Tapestry, Inc.: The luxury group completed the sale of its Stuart Weitzman brand to Caleres for 105 million dollars.
- Twinset: The Italian fashion brand was acquired by Borletti Group and Quadrivio & Pambianco from the private equity fund Carlyle in a deal valuing the brand at just under 200 million euros.
- Victrix Group: The Spanish owner of Punt Roma acquired the international brand rights for the German fashion brand Gerry Weber, which had filed for insolvency.
- V&D: The Dutch department store brand, along with To Be Dressed, was acquired by the British e-commerce platform Secret Sales to relaunch as a marketplace for discounted fashion.
- WSN Développement: The French trade show organiser became the majority shareholder of Labomode Group, publisher of fashion data platforms Fashop and Pages Mode.
- Zalando SE: The German online retailer received final regulatory approval to complete its acquisition of competitor About You Holding SE.
Stake Changes & Investments
- Borletti Group: Acquired a minority stake in US denim brand True Religion, supporting its growth alongside majority shareholder Acon Investments.
- Bestseller: The Danish fashion group, through its Invest FWD arm, led a 20 million dollar funding round for Softwear Automation and also invested in German recycling start-up Matterr.
- Frasers Group: Further increased its stake in Hugo Boss AG, now directly holding over 25% of the voting rights. The group also reportedly offered a cash injection to Debenhams Group.
- LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton: The luxury conglomerate's investment arm, LVMH Luxury Ventures, acquired a minority stake in French knitwear brand Molli. LVMH also acquired the French daily L'Opinion and financial news website L'Agefi. The group is reportedly in discussions to sell its Marc Jacobs brand.
- Meta Platforms Inc: The US tech giant acquired a stake of just under three% in French eyewear group EssilorLuxottica for approximately three billion euros.
- Temasek Holdings: The Singapore-based fund acquired a 10% stake in the Ermenegildo Zegna Group for 126.4 million dollars to support the brand's international growth.
Expansions & Partnerships
- American Vintage: The French brand announced plans for store openings in the US, Hong Kong, China, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, and France as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
- Barena Venezia: The Italian brand appointed Davide Zara to its management board to drive the next phase of global expansion, with plans for its first flagship store.
- Blanche Copenhagen: The Danish womenswear brand announced its closure after filing for insolvency in June, citing severe crises in the global fashion industry.
- Ciele Athletics: The Montreal-based performance running brand launched in China through an exclusive partnership with retail operator Topsports.
- Club L London: The British occasionwear brand launched its first dedicated German-language website amid strong growth in the DACH region.
- Cole Haan: The US lifestyle brand is entering the performance apparel category through an exclusive agreement with sports tech platform Catapult Group, launching a golf apparel line in spring 2026.
- Ellesse: The Italian sportswear brand, owned by Pentland Brands, is returning to the US market with a new long-term licensing agreement with The Iconic Brand Corporation (TIBC).
- Farfetch: The luxury e-tailer partnered with R.Lux, an app owned by its parent company Coupang, to deepen its reach within South Korea’s luxury market.
- Frasers Group: The UK retail group launched a new retail media network called Elevate, based on its first-party data, to help brand partners with personalised advertising.
- Hermès: The French luxury house began work on a new leather goods workshop in northern France and announced plans to expand its watchmaking factory in Switzerland to meet global demand.
- ISTO: The Portuguese menswear label announced a strategic partnership with Altaz Capital to support international expansion, with plans for its first stores in London and New York.
- Louis Vuitton: Announced plans to open a new workshop in Texas, US, to meet growing demand in the American market.
- Naked Wardrobe: The Los Angeles-based fashion label expanded to the UK through a wholesale partnership with luxury retailer Flannels.
- Nextil: The Spanish textile multinational sold its production facilities in northern Portugal for 4.4 million euros in a sale and leaseback agreement to continue its operational activities.
- OTB Group: The Italian fashion group began expanding its presence in Mexico, directly managing brands like Diesel, Jil Sander, Marni, and Maison Margiela through a new local legal entity.
- PdPaola: The Spanish jewellery firm is focusing on premiumisation and North American expansion, supported by its first flagship store in New York.
- Primark: The budget retailer is rolling out its first consumer-facing mobile app, launching initially in Ireland and Italy before expanding to other regions.
- Rockport: The US footwear brand is set to enter the UK and Ireland through a new distribution deal between its parent company Authentic Brands Group and Chapters Brand Group.
- Saint Sass: The Berlin-based fashion brand secured investment from Swiss firm Infinitas Capital and German investor Bronk Venture Capital to accelerate its international growth, particularly in the US.
- Skechers: The US footwear brand continued its expansion into the performance market with the opening of its first European performance store in Ghent, Belgium.
- The Volte: The Australian peer-to-peer rental marketplace expanded into the UK market for the first time as part of its ongoing international growth.
- Topshop: The British fashion brand is making a comeback with plans for physical retail through a wholesale partner and a new dedicated website launching later in the year.
- U.S. Polo Assn.: The brand expanded into the Brazilian market through a partnership with Grupo Pasquini as part of its strategy to grow its presence in Latin America.
- Wrangler: The denim brand signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Genesco for the design, sourcing, and marketing of its footwear line for men, women, and children.
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