AlixPartners confirms Agent Provocateur Sale to Sports Direct's Mike Ashley

London - AlixPartners, the firm which has been appointed to oversee administration of luxury lingerie brand of Agent Provocateur, has confirmed its sale to Four Holdings, the investment vehicle held by Mike Ashley, founder and owner of Sports Direct. Four Holdings is the parent company of Four Marketing, an upscale fashion agency which manages websites for luxury brands and holds their flagshipr stores, of which Sports Directs owns a 25 percent stake in.

"On appointment, we immediately effected a sale of the business and assets of the Company to Four Holdings," said AlixPartners in a statement this afternoon. The confirmation comes hours after rumours began to circulate that Agent Provocateur had entered into administration and had been immediately acquired by Sports Direct. In a statement sent to FashionUnited, a spokesman for Sports Direct said: "We have a 25 percent shareholding in Four Marketing and we are fully supportive of this acquisition."

AlixPartners declined to share the terms of the deal and 3i Group confirmed they would not be commenting on the pre-pack administration sale. "We would like to thank all the staff and stakeholders for their support during this process and we wish the business and its new owners all the best for future," said Peter Saville, AlixPartners' retail restructuring lead in a statement to FashionUnited.

Photo 1: Printscreen Agent Provocateur

Photo 2: Campaign, Facebook