Frasers Group, a company involved in retail, sports, and intellectual property, has expanded its portfolio by acquiring John Anthony, a premium menswear retailer. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
John Anthony, established in 1979, offers a mix of designer collections from both new and established labels. The retailer operates five stores in the UK, located in Bristol, Bournemouth, Bath, Swindon, and Southampton. Some of the brands it carries include Acne Studios, Belstaff, Cole Buxton, Dsquared2, Fred Perry, Hoka, Hugo, and Vivienne Westwood.
In 2023, John Anthony introduced new brands like A-COLD-WALL, Comme Des Garcons Play, MKI Miyuki Zoku, and Salomon. It’s not yet clear if John Anthony will continue to operate under its current brand or if it will be integrated into one of Frasers’ other operations.
Frasers Group’s acquisition of John Anthony comes as the company recorded positive financial results, with an operating profit of 4.4% and before-tax growth of 8% in the first half of fiscal 2024. The group, which owns Sports Direct, also experienced a 4.4% increase in revenue to £2.76bn during the 26 weeks ending October 29, 2023.
In addition to the John Anthony acquisition, Frasers Group has made strategic moves in the market, including acquiring stakes in online fashion seller Boohoo and electricals retailer Currys. They also entered into an agreement to acquire German sports retailer SportScheck in October 2023, although they later withdrew from the deal when SportScheck’s parent company faced financial difficulties.
