Forever 21 Snapped up by Mall Owners, Authentic Brands

Shoppers enter a Forever 21 fashion retail store at the King of Prussia mall in King of Prussia, Pa., on Sept. 30, 2019. Mark Makela/File/Reuters

Forever 21 has a new lease on life after Simon Property Group Inc, Brookfield Property Partners LP, and Authentic Brands Group agreed to acquire the bankrupt teen fashion retailer.

Brand management company Authentic Brands said on Feb. 19 it and mall owner Simon Property would own 37.5 percent each of the retailer, while Brookfield Property would buy 25 percent of the intellectual property and operating businesses.

A view inside a Forever 21 store in Union Square in Manhattan, N.Y., on Sept. 12, 2019. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Forever 21, which has 593 stores in 57 countries, will continue to operate in U.S. and international markets, Authentic Brands said.

Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September, making it another victim of the rising popularity of online shopping and changing fashion trends dictated by millennial shoppers.

A view inside a Forever 21 store in Union Square in Manhattan, New York City on Sept. 12, 2019. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The retailer’s current, owned store operations in Central America, South America, Mexico, the Philippines, and the Caribbean would be converted to a licensed partnership model.

The new owners are also working with existing and new partners to expand Forever 21 across key territories, including South America, China, the Middle East, and India, Authentic Brands said.

By Aishwarya Venugopal