FILE PHOTO: Shoppers enter a Forever 21 fashion retail store at the King of Prussia mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Mark Makela
(Reuters) – Forever 21 has a new lease on life after Simon Property Group Inc (SPG.N), Brookfield Property Partners LP (BPY.O) and Authentic Brands Group agreed to acquire the bankrupt teen fashion retailer.
Brand management company Authentic Brands said on Wednesday it and mall owner Simon Property would own 37.5% each of the retailer, while Brookfield Property would buy 25% of the intellectual property and operating businesses.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Forever 21, which has 593 stores in 57 countries, will continue to operate in U.S. and international markets, Authentic Brands said.
Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September, making it another victim of the rising popularity of online shopping and changing fashion trends dictated by millennial shoppers.
The retailer’s current, owned store operations in Central America, South America, Mexico, the Philippines, and the Caribbean would be converted to a licensed partnership model.
The new owners are also working with existing and new partners to expand Forever 21 across key territories, including South America, China, the Middle East and India, Authentic Brands said.
(This story corrects paragraph 4 to say Forever 21 has “593” stores and not “815”)
Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva