Pentland to Buy Speedo North America From PVH for $170M

PVH Corp. has entered into an agreement to sell its Speedo North America business to Pentland Group, the longtime parent company of Speedo International Limited. The $170 million cash deal is subject to a working capital adjustment.

Speedo International licenses the Speedo trademark to a PVH subsidiary for perpetual use in North America and the Caribbean. The transaction, expected to close in the first quarter of PVH’s fiscal 2020 year, is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

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“This strategic announcement aligns with PVH’s goal to optimize and streamline its Heritage Brands business in the ever-evolving retail environment and focus on delivering sustainable profitable growth of its global brands, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger,” said Emanuel Chirico, chairman and CEO of PVH Corp. “I am pleased to see Pentland Group reunite with Speedo business globally, as they are the best positioned to capture the full potential of the iconic Speedo brand.”

Pentland Group, which also owns the Berghuas, Canterbury, Ellesse and SeaVees brands, acquired Speedo in 1991.

“We’ve had a great partnership with PVH and they’ve done an incredible job in raising the profile of the Speedo brand and growing the business in North America during their time as licensee,” said Andy Long, CEO of Pentland Group’s Pentand Brands division.

The acquisition comes just ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and the participation of many Speedo athletes. Noted Long, “With the Tokyo games this year, now is the right time to bring Speedo North America back into our brand portfolio. Pentland has a strong track record of investing in people and international brands and we’re looking forward to welcoming the Speedo North America team into the Pentland family and working together in the Speedo success story.”

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