Billabong and Roxy set to join ABG, boosting group sales to £22.4 billion

Authentic Brands Group, the owner of brands including Ted Baker, Hervé Léger, Juicy Couture, has made a binding offer to purchase Boardriders, which has portfolio of brands including Quiksilver, Billabong, and Roxy.

Through this acquisition, Authentic would strategically diversify its portfolio with the addition of some of the most well-known brands in board sports.

For more than 50 years, Boardriders brands have built a legacy by connecting board riders around the world. Today, Boardriders’ portfolio generates £2.3 billion ($2.9 billion) in retail sales annually through a global multichannel distribution network of more than 500 owned retail stores, 7,000 wholesale accounts and e-commerce in 35 countries.

The acquisition would also include Surf Dive 'n Ski, a leading lifestyle retailer in Australia with a fleet of more than 80 locations and robust e-commerce platform.

Jamie Salter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, commented: “As an early believer in the global and commercial appeal of action sports, this brings me back to the roots of my early career.

“Along with the great brands and impressive global reach that will come with this acquisition, we see Boardriders’ potential as a thriving online marketplace under Authentic’s ownership. With Boardriders’ proven retail playbook, we also see tremendous opportunities to accelerate the expansion of its shop-in-shops, branded retail stores, wholesale and e-commerce worldwide.”

Arne Arens, CEO of Boardriders, added: “We are proud of our deep connection to the global action sports community, industry-leading brands and world-class teams.

“Under Authentic’s ownership, Boardriders will be uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our iconic brands to millions of consumers, capture market share in our core categories and grow white spaces, including premium athleisure, training and lifestyle.”

The acquisition is subject to the consultation of certain Boardriders employee representatives and the signing of a definitive agreement. In the event that all approvals are secured, Authentic’s acquisition of Boardriders would be expected to be finalised in Q3 of 2023. With this, Authentic’s portfolio is expected to increase its systemwide annual retail sales to approximately £22.4 billion ($27.6 billion) and retail footprint to over 11,100-plus stores.