Authentic Brands Group has forged a new partnership with Baozun Inc. for British heritage brand Hunter, which will see the Chinese firm handle the UK wellington brand across Asia.
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Through a newly formed Authentic subsidiary, ABG Hunter LLC, Baozun and Authentic have entered a joint venture for Hunter in Greater China and Southeast Asia, of which Baozun acquires a 51 percent interest of Hunter’s intellectual property across the regions.
Authentic and Baozun have also entered a long-term license agreement through which Baozun will design, manufacture, market and distribute Hunter brand products in Greater China. The license agreement will be assigned by ABG Hunter LLC to Hunter IP Holdco as the licensor across the region.
“We are thrilled to partner with Baozun to grow Hunter in this important region,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic. The license agreement will be assigned by ABG Hunter LLC to Hunter IP Holdco as the licensor across the region.
“This strategic move is in line with our strategy to think global and act local. By partnering with Baozun, a leader in digital and e-commerce experiences in China and Southeast Asia, we are able to combine our expertise in brand management with their deep understanding of the local market nuances and cultural trends.”
Founded in 2007, Baozun Inc. is a leader in brand e-commerce service, brand management, and digital commerce service. It serves more than 400 brands from various industries and sectors around the world, including east and Southeast Asia, Europe and North America.
“We are excited to share our recent partnership with Authentic Brands Group, a leading global brand management company that owns a large portfolio of more than 50 brands, including many iconic and world-renowned lifestyle brands,” said Vincent Qiu, chairman and chief executive officer of Baozun.
“This marks another milestone in our transformation where all three business lines will cooperate together to deliver an extraordinary suite of services to leading global brand companies in China and other Asian markets.”
Headquartered in New York City, Authentic Brands is brand management firm that connects brands with a global network of operators, distributors and retailers.
Authentic announced it had acquired the intellectual rights for the Hunter brand in June.
Hunter, and Authentic’s other brands — David Beckham, Reebok, Brooks Brothers, Barneys New York, Ted Baker, Hervé Léger, Nautica, Juicy Couture, Forever 21, Boardriders, Billabong, and many more — generate more than USD 29 billion in global annual retail sales and have an expansive retail footprint in 150 countries, including 11,700-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops and 390,000 points of sale.