TSL Express Daily News

Iconic British heritage brand was revitalized under the firm’s leadership

Boston, Jan. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gordon Brothers, the global asset experts, has sold the Laura Ashley® brand, archives and related intellectual property to Marquee Brands, the global brand accelerator.

“This sale is a cornerstone moment for Gordon Brothers,” said Tobias Nanda, Head of Brands at Gordon Brothers. “We are thrilled with the huge success Laura Ashley experienced under our leadership and our work over the last four years to relaunch, reposition and expand the iconic British heritage brand globally.”

After Gordon Brothers acquired the brand, archives and related intellectual property from insolvency in 2020, the firm partnered with NEXT plc to launch Laura Ashley’s spring homeware collection online and in select NEXT stores in the U.K. Laura Ashley has since launched fashion collaborations with Lucky Brand, Rag & Bone and Tie Bar while developing brand partnerships in Korea, Japan and the U.S.

In 2022, Gordon Brothers expanded the fashion, home and lifestyle brand in a fresh, modern way in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, and the brand made its first entry into China with a Peacebird fashion collaboration.

Laura Ashley and the firm co-sponsored the Chelsea Flower Show in 2023 that showcased the brand’s lifestyle across home and fashion using the classic floral prints. Last year, Laura Ashley celebrated its 70th anniversary and relaunched fashion with a U.K. debut in April. While under Gordon Brothers’ leadership, Laura Ashley grew to over $750 million in global retail sales and expanded to over 80 countries across six continents.

“Transitioning Laura Ashley to an asset-light model to rebuild a flexible, scalable licensing business with strategic sourcing and a robust e-commerce presence worldwide was pivotal to our success in revitalizing the beloved brand out of insolvency,” said  Carolyn D’Angelo, Senior Managing Director, Brand Operations at Gordon Brothers and former President of Laura Ashley. “We purchased a brand with a proud history and reputation and reimagined a business model that allowed it to thrive in today’s marketplace.”  

Gordon Brothers has been actively investing in brands and partnering with leading companies since 2003 to revive and reimagine some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Nicole Miller, Telefunken, Polaroid and Sharper Image. As owners of several brands, the firm prioritizes expanding licensees and franchisees to bolster their e-commerce presence and develop more strategic wholesale and retail relationships.

“Gordon Brothers has deep expertise that allows us to understand the inherent value of brands, the capital to invest in them and a proven model for reimagining and transforming them,” said Frank Morton, Chief Investment Officer of Gordon Brothers. “Based on the success of Laura Ashley, and other brands in our global portfolio, we will continue to invest in and reinvigorate brands using this model.” 

To learn more about Gordon Brothers, please visit: https://www.gordonbrothers.com/.  

About Gordon Brothers

Since 1903, Gordon Brothers has maximized liquidity through realizable asset value by providing the people, expertise and capital to solve business challenges. Our solutions-oriented approach across asset services, lending, financing and trading gives clients the insights, strategies and time to optimize asset values throughout the business cycle. We work across the full spectrum of assets globally with deep expertise in retail, commercial, industrial, brands and real estate. We are headquartered in Boston with over 30 offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Lauren Nadeau Gordon Brothers 16174226599 lnadeau@gordonbrothers.com