Hela Apparel Holdings acquires Focus Brands

Sri Lankan clothes manufacturer, Hela Apparel Holdings, has announced its acquisition of Focus Brands, a brand management company in one of its key markets. 

The acquisition comes as Focus Brands currently holds exclusive licensing agreements for the design and distribution of a number of major names, including Ellesse and Nautica in the UK. 

Through this acquisition, Hela aims to become a fully vertically integrated service provider for the clothing sector. 

Focus Brands will form the basis for the organisation’s new brand licensing division, which will initially operate independently of the existing apparel manufacturing business as part of the acquisition. 

In addition, the acquisition will expand Hela’s global presence through Focus Brands’ six “state-of-the-art” product showrooms in London, Manchester, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Amsterdam, alongside a sourcing office in China. 

The company’s service offering to its customers will also be further strengthened through a network of warehousing facilities in the UK and Europe.

According to Hela, this transaction moves the group significantly closer to its end customer and expands its range of services to brand marketing and distribution.

Ray Evans, newly-appointed CEO of Focus Brands, said: “This acquisition is an exciting opportunity that will see the teams at Hela and Focus Brands coming together in collaboration, to create an exciting future for the business. 

“Focus has already built up an excellent reputation for itself across the global sports and streetwear industries and alongside the team at Hela intend to build on that established success and amplify what the Licensing House has already created.”