WHP secures 375 million dollar investment to support growth plans

Brand management firm WHP Global has secured a 375 million dollar equity investment providing growth capital to support the group’s next wave of brand acquisitions.

Managed by private equity group Ares Management Corporation, the transaction puts WHP’s valuation at 1.6 billion dollars.

WHP, which counts the likes of Express, Anne Klein and Joseph Abboud among its portfolio, noted that proceeds from the funds would go towards adding cash to its balance sheet for future mergers and acquisitions.

In a release, Yehuda Shmidman, chairman and CEO of WHP, said: “WHP Global has experienced record-setting growth since its founding in 2019, and this new significant investment from Ares gives us a powerful edge to capitalise on today’s robust merger and acquisition market as we chart the course for our next phase of growth.

“We’re thrilled for this partnership with Ares, and excited to advance our company alongside our existing shareholder base that includes Oaktree, Solus, Platform Founder Group and WHP employees.”

Ares partners join board

As part of the deal, partners at Ares, Aaron Rosen and Jordan Smith, will be joining the WHP board of directors.

In a statement, Smith noted that the investment displayed the strength of WHP’s platform, adding: “We look forward to partnering with Yehuda and the WHP team on its mission to acquire and grow global consumer brands.”

Since its founding, WHP has established itself as a fast growing management group, operating across three verticals and generating more than 6.5 billion dollars in global retail sales, as noted by the firm.

Most recently, the group struck up a partnership deal with Express covering an intellectual property joint venture and an investment to support the apparel brand’s omnichannel business and profitability.