Frasers Group snaps up independent retailer Aphrodite

Fashion and retail conglomerate Frasers Group has acquired another premium menswear independent in the form of Sunderland-based Aphrodite.

This is according to correspondence seen by Drapers, which noted that changes to the retailer’s physical and online store would be shared at a later date.

Aphrodite was founded by brothers Duncan and Andrew McKenzie in 1994, and currently operates both an e-commerce website and 3,800 square foot store at 8 Vine Place in Sunderland.

The location houses 54 clothing and footwear brands, including Adidas, Nike, Carhartt and Patagonia, mixing both sportswear and streetwear names, the media outlet noted.

Aphrodite is the second of its type to have been acquired by Frasers in recent months. Towards the end of last year, the group had also snapped up menswear indie John Anthony for an undisclosed sum.

This latest takeover further builds on Frasers’ mission to bolster its presence in the premium retail market.

Such efforts could already be seen in 2020, when Frasers snapped up stakes in Mulberry and Hugo Boss as part of an elevation strategy through which it looked to reposition itself as a more up-market business.

Since, however, the strategy has appeared to have shifted to become centred around a more aggressive and expansive portfolio expansion, as the group began securing smaller or struggling rivals such as I Saw it First, and stakes in the likes of Asos and Boohoo.