Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) has purchased the intellectual property of Hunter, the 160-year-old British heritage brand, famous for its iconic Original Wellington boot, that has evolved into an outdoor lifestyle brand. Financial details of the purchase were not disclosed.
The global brand development and marketing platform has named two companies to serve as Hunter’s retailing and licensing partners in key geographies. In the U.S., Marc Fisher Footwear will take on the Hunter brand’s footwear design, wholesale and ecommerce operations. The Batra Group will become the core licensee in the UK and continental Europe, responsible for designing and developing Hunter footwear, apparel and accessories and operating Hunter’s branded retail stores, wholesale distribution and ecommerce in those territories.
“At the intersection of fashion and outdoor, Hunter introduces another elevated global brand to Authentic’s diverse Lifestyle portfolio,” said Jamie Salter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Authentic in a statement. “We are also pleased to expand our relationships with two long-standing Authentic partners, Batra Group and Marc Fisher, each of whom has a proven track record of unparalleled expertise in product development across a range of categories and an established network of prominent retailers.”
Authentic has been on something of a buying spree in 2023; in April it bought the portfolio of Boardriders brands as well as the IP of Vince. The addition of Hunter drives Authentic’s strategy of diversifying its portfolio with brands that originate from outside of the U.S. Authentic plans to tap its global network of category experts and best-in-class operating partners to accelerate the worldwide expansion of Hunter in the U.S. and Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as key markets across the Asia Pacific region. Additional brand partners are expected to be announced in the coming months.
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