Marquee Brands celebrates Laura Ashley acquisition

US-based asset group Gordon Brothers has sold the Laura Ashley brand to compatriot Marquee Brands.

Boston-headquartered Gordon Brothers acquired the iconic home, fashion and lifestyle brand, which is synonymous with Englishness, its archives and related intellectual property from insolvency in 2020.

Gordon Brothers partnered with retailer Next to launch Laura Ashley’s spring homeware collection online and in select Next stores in the UK. Laura Ashley has since launched fashion collaborations with Lucky Brand, Rag & Bone and Tie Bar while developing brand partnerships in Korea, Japan and the US.

Founded in 1953, Laura Ashley has become synonymous with floral designs and vintage-inspired motifs. It is now distributed in more than 80 countries through wholesalers, digital marketplaces, and over 150 branded retail locations globally. It has over $750 million in global retail sales.

LA and New York-based Marquee Brands, which describes itself as a global brand accelerator, has added Laura Ashley to its stable of well-known global brands such as Ben Sherman and Martha Stewart.

Marquee said it would retain Laura Ashley’s UK-based team and expand its global footprint with the opening of its first European headquarters in London. The deal increases the retail value of its global portfolio to over $4 billion.

Marquee Brands said it wanted to deepen Laura Ashley’s presence, driving new business across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, EMEA and other key regions.

“Laura Ashley’s licensed business model and robust group of high-quality partners makes the brand a seamless addition to Marquee Brands. We are excited to harness the strong affinity for this iconic brand and drive expansion across new platforms and partnerships,” said Heath Golden, CEO of Marquee Brands.

“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.”

It is understood that UK staff will be retained, and that the Laura Ashley stores listed below will carry on trading as per usual:
Bedford Interchange, Bedfordshire
Belfast, County Antrim
Bolton Middlebrook, Lancashire
Bristol Cribbs Home, Avon
Camberley, Surrey
Cardiff Leckwith, South Glamorgan
Carlisle, Cumbria
Carrickmines, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Doncaster Wheatley, South Yorkshire
Dudley Merryhill, West Midlands
Dundee Home, Scotland
Durham Arnison, County Durham
Edinburgh Straiton, Midlothian
Enfield, Middlesex
Falkirk Home, Scotland
Gateshead Home, Tyne & Wear
Glasgow, Greater Glasgow
Handforth Dean, Cheshire
Hanley Festival, Staffordshire
Harlow Home, Essex
High Wycombe Home & Garden, Buckinghamshire
Hull Kingswood, East Yorkshire
Ipswich, Suffolk
Leeds Birstall, West Yorkshire
Leicester Home, Leicestershire
Liverpool Aintree, Merseyside
Liverpool Speke, Merseyside
Livingston - Almondvale, Scotland
London - Westfield, Greater London
Maidstone Eclipse, Kent
Norfolk Longwater, Norfolk
North Shields, Tyne & Wear
Nottingham Giltbrook, Nottinghamshire
Peterborough Brotherhood, Cambridgeshire
Plymouth Marsh Mills, Devon
Poole Home, Dorset
Sheffield Home and Garden, South Yorkshire
Shoreham, West Sussex
Solihull, West Midlands
Southampton Hedge End, Hampshire
Stockton Teesside, County Durham
Swansea Morfa, West Glamorgan
Tamworth, Staffordshire
Thurrock Home, Essex
Warrington Gemini RP, Cheshire
York Vangarde, North Yorkshire

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