Frasers Group ups stake in N Brown again

British retail giant Frasers Group has once again upped its stake in Manchester-based fashion group N Brown.

Frasers, which owns the likes of Sports Direct, House of Fraser, and Jack Wills, announced Thursday it has slightly increased its stake in N Brown from 17.88 percent to 18.1 percent.

It comes after N Brown last month announced an almost 10 percent drop in revenue in the first quarter.

Frasers has increased its stake in N Brown several times since first buying into the company last year.

It’s part of a much broader and ambitious expansion plan by the group, which has been snapping up a slew of smaller and struggling businesses - or stakes in businesses - in recent years.

This year alone the company has acquired Missguided, Studio Retail, I Saw It First, and over a dozen non-core brands from rival JD Sports.

Last month, Frasers bought a 5 percent stake in British fast fashion giant Boohoo, making it one of its major shareholders.

It has also recently bought stakes in Asos, Hugo Boss, and Mulberry.