Frasers Group acquires menswear retailer John Anthony

Frasers Group has confirmed its acquisition of premium menswear retailer John Anthony for an undisclosed sum.

Established in 1979, John Anthony is one of the longest running independent mens fashion retailers in the UK.

The brand presents a progressive mix of designer collections from both established and emerging brands, such as Acne Studios, Belstaff, Fred Perry, Hoka and Dsquared2.

It operates its own website, as well as five stores in Bristol, Bournemouth, Bath, Swindon and Southampton.

The acquisition comes after Frasers Group achieved a 4.4% increase in revenue for the six months ending 29 October 2023.

The parent group of Sports Direct and Flannels, among others, reported largely flat sales (up 0.8%) in its UK sports retail division at £1.49 billion, with premium lifestyle up 3.1% to £550.1 million and international sales up 13.2% at £645.8 million.

The group has recently been linked to a potential purchase of luxury boutique Browns. It has also been building stakes in Boohoo and fellow online giant ASOS, as well as luxury brands Mulberry and Hugo Boss.

Earlier this month Frasers was obliged to pull out of a potential purchase of German sports retailer SportSheck, after it filed for insolvency following its parent company Signa Holding fall into administration.

Frasers said it remains optimistic, however, that it can acquire the sports retailer’s business or assets out of administration.