The US fashion and media group Authentic Brands Group LLC (ABG) is continuing to build new global sales structures for the Reebok brand. On Wednesday, the company announced an agreement to this effect with the New Guards Group, which belongs to the British clothing retailer Farfetch Limited.
As part of the “long-term strategic partnership,” New Guards Group will operate all of Reebok’s stores and e-commerce activities in Europe, as well as lead the brand’s wholesale business there, ABG said. The “innovative agreement” also makes New Guards “the exclusive partner for the development, curation and launch of luxury collaborations as well as for the distribution of premium Reebok products to leading fashion and specialty retail customers in over 50 countries including the USA, Canada and Europe,” the statement said.
“This is a monumental moment for Reebok and ABG,” said Jamie Salter, CEO of ABG. “We look forward to working with New Guards on Reebok’s European distribution and bringing their luxury segment expertise to Reebok.”
ABG announced the acquisition of Reebok last summer. The company will pay the German sporting goods group Adidas AG, which has owned the US brand since 2006, around 2.1 billion euros. Although the transaction is not yet complete, ABG has already started to create a new distribution structure for Reebok. The clothing group Tristate Holdings Limited was presented in January as the brand’s license and sales partner for the Chinese market. ABG previously had a distribution partnership with UK retail group JD Sports Fashion Plc. was closed, which aims to expand the Reebok ranges of the Group’s retail chains in Europe and North America. The agreement reached with New Guards is “a cornerstone of our strategy to expand Reebok’s global footprint,” said Nick Woodhouse, ABG’s President and CMO.