Authentic Brands Group and Guess have closed a landmark transaction to take Guess private, creating a new ownership and operating model designed to fuel the fashion brand’s global expansion.
Under the agreement, Authentic now owns 51% of substantially all Guess intellectual property, while a group of existing Guess shareholders known as the Rolling Shareholders holds the remaining 49% . How the new Guess structure works With the deal complete, Guess now operates under a split model: Authentic controls a majority
stake in the brand’s IP, while current Guess management owns 100% of the operating company and will continue to run the day to day business. Guess operations in Switzerland will remain the global hub for strategy, design, creative, and distribution, preserving the label’s European rooted aesthetic and brand continuity.
The transaction reshapes Guess inside Authentic’s ecosystem. With around $6 billion in global retail equivalent sales, Guess becomes Authentic’s second largest brand and lifts the group’s portfolio wide annual retail sales to $38 billion worldwide.
This plugs Guess into a platform that spans more than 50 brands and nearly 2,000 licensing partners in about 150 countries.
Why Authentic wanted Guess Authentic Founder, Chairman, and CEO Jamie Salter said , “What makes Guess compelling is the strength of the foundation already in place, from its exceptional leadership and iconic heritage to its vast network of licensing partners around the world”…
