HUDSON JEANS AND ROBERT GRAHAM COMPLETE MERGER
Joe’s Jeans Inc. has completed the merger combining Hudson Jeans and Robert Graham. Additionally, the company has been renamed Differential Brands Group Inc. (Differential) and will remain publicly listed on NASDAQ under the ticker DFBG. Tengram Capital Partners, the previous controlling owner of Robert Graham, invested approximately $50 million into the new platform.
The strategic combination of Hudson Jeans and Robert Graham will serve as the initial foundation for Differential, which will focus on organically growing its owned brands through a global, omni-channel distribution strategy across premium wholesale channels, direct-to-consumer retail stores and e-commerce, while seeking opportunities to acquire accretive, complementary, premium brands.
“Tengram is thrilled to sponsor this unique transaction and to have the opportunity to create a new transformative public platform focused on wholesale operating companies with strong brands that possess the potential to grow through global omni-channel distribution,” said William Sweedler, co-founder and managing partner of Tengram Capital Partners.
Michael Buckley, current CEO of Robert Graham, who has previous public company leadership experience at True Religion, in addition to experience at Diesel and Ben Sherman, will lead Differential as chief executive officer.
“I believe Differential is uniquely positioned to become one of the foremost premium omni-channel brand platforms in the world, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to lead the company as chief executive officer and to work closely with the board of directors and Tengram Capital Partners in the years to come,” said Buckley.
Sweedler added, “We believe Differential fills a void in the U.S. public market landscape by focusing exclusively on brands that develop products for consumers shopping at premium retailers. Additionally, we believe that Differential will be able to offer retail customers a unique, one-stop resource for their diverse in-store brand needs. Our playbook calls for Differential to build its existing brands organically and for the company to pursue complementary acquisitions with strong accretion metrics both financially and operationally.”
