Matheson LLP is pleased to be working alongside Latham & Watkins LLP advising Authentic Brands Group LLC (“Authentic”), a global brand development and marketing company, on its agreement to acquire Champion athleticwear brand and business (“Champion”) from Hanesbrands in a $1.2 billion deal. The acquisition is subject to a number of pre-closing conditions, and is expected to complete in the second half of 2024.
Headquartered in New York, Authentic’s brand management portfolio includes household brand names such as Reebok, Sports Illustrated and David Beckham. The acquisition of Champion demonstrates a further commitment from Authentic to continue to expand its diverse brand portfolio and represents the addition of a further well-known name in the athleisure industry to Authentic’s ever growing portfolio of iconic sports, lifestyle and media brand names. The acquisition is estimated to increase Authentic’s annual global retail sales to more than $32billion globally, representing a signification addition to Authentic’s portfolio.
The Matheson team is led by Corporate M&A partner Robert Maloney Derham, senior associate Ciara Finnan, associate Aisling Smith and trainee Michael McGrogan, along with a cross-departmental team including Vahan Tchrakian and Chloe Power (Tax), Hilda Wrixon and Niall Foley (Commercial Real Estate), Lorcan Keenan and Trina Dzidonu (Pensions), Ailbhe Dennehy, Shane Gallen and Naomi Douglas (Employment), Paul Carroll and Manal Awan (Banking), Carlo Salizzo, Thomas Condon and Ruairí O’Connell (Technology and Innovation Group) and Connor Cassidy and Darragh Casey (Litigation).
Robert Maloney Derham, partner in the firm’s Corporate M&A team stated: “We are delighted to be involved on this significant transaction for Authentic Brands Group solidifying their position as a world leading sports and entertainment licensing company. This transaction represents yet another example of our market-leading Corporate M&A practice’s long-standing experience working with clients on their complex strategic cross-border transactions.”
As one of Ireland's largest law firms, Matheson has some of the most experienced corporate lawyers in Ireland. Excellence matters and Matheson's corporate department has unrivalled experience in advising international clients across all industry sectors, making the firm uniquely positioned to partner with clients to successfully deliver these types of transactions.
