Naked Brand Group completes FOH acquisition for $18.2 million

By

Robin Driver

Published
Nov 15, 2018

Sydney, Australia-based intimates and swimwear company Naked Brand Group Limited announced on Thursday that it has concluded its acquisition of FOH Online Corp, exclusive licensee for the Frederick’s of Hollywood brand’s international e-commerce business.
 

The $18.2 million purchase price equated to approximately 3.8 million ordinary Naked shares priced at $2.20 per share, along with forgiveness of $9.9 million in long-term debt held by the company.
 
As part of the acquisition, Naked will take over FOH’s license with Authentic Brands Group, Frederick’s of Hollywood’s parent company. The license currently runs until 2020 and includes provision to be extended to 2070 if FOH so desires.

The deal therefore secures those revenues which, up until now, Naked was making through a sublicense with FOH.
 
Naked expects the newly acquired business to generate $25.0 million in revenue for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2019, reflecting double-digit growth and contributing positively to the company's overall results. 

“We are pleased to see that Frederick’s of Hollywood sales have grown at such a rapid rate in response to key improvements made over the last year,” said Naked Brand Group CEO Justin Davis-Rice in a release. “We believe the acquisition provides a strong platform to drive the next phase of growth of our e-commerce business and offers key opportunities for future operating synergies with our extensive wholesale and retail distribution channels.”
 
The Frederick’s of Hollywood e-commerce business reported net sales of around $20.0 million for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2018, up 22% from the $16.5 million achieved in the same period in the previous year.
 
News of the deal’s conclusion comes shortly after Naked reported that a proposed strategic investment of $25 million from Sapinda Holding B.V., owner of La Perla, has been postponed until further notice due to fluctuations in the stock market. The two companies first announced that they had entered into a non-binding agreement in August, two months after Naked completed a merger with fellow intimates group Bendon Limited.
 
The investment was supposed to provide funding for strategic acquisitions and the continued expansion of Naked’s e-commerce and direct-to-consumer initiatives.