WHP Global: this is what we know about the new owner of G-Star Raw

Dutch denim brand G-Star Raw has sold a majority stake to US company WHP Global. Its current shareholders, including founder Jos van Tilburg, will retain a stake in the brand. But what do we already know about the new major shareholder, WHP Global?

WHP Global is an American investment company and was founded in 2019 by Yehuda Shmidman. Its first acquisition was the Anne Klein brand. WHP now has a portfolio consisting of the brands Toys 'R' Us, Babies 'R' Us, Express, Bonobos, Anne Klein, Joe's Jeans, Joseph Abboud, Isaac Mizrahi, Lotto and William Rast. The acquisition of Bonobos was announced earlier in 2023.

"We see the volatile transformation of retail as the perfect opportunity to invest and monetise valuable businesses with business models that are optimal for the future of retail," the WHP Global website reads. "With this in mind, we actively seek, and acquire, brands that operate in high-growth distribution channels including digital commercial platforms, product licensing and through global expansion."

With the acquisition of G-Star Raw, WHP Global's portfolio is worth 7 billion dollars in retail sales. This translates to 6.5 billion euros or 5.6 billion pounds.

For its takeovers, WHP Global regularly collaborates with other parties. For instance, it partnered with Express to acquire Bonobos and joined forces with Centric Brands to acquire Joe's Jeans. As for the latter, WHP Global acquired the intellectual property of Joe's Jeans and Centric Brands retained the licence of the brand.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL Translation and editing from Dutch into English by Veerle Versteeg.