Gateley advises Fred Perry on acquisition of footwear brand

Gateley Legal has advised historic British heritage brand Fred Perry on its acquisition of George Cox Footwear.

The corporate team in the London office of Gateley advised on the purchase.

Fred Perry was founded by the triple Wimbledon champion in 1952 and has been adopted by generations of British subcultures ever since, remaining a luxury brand today.

George Cox has been synonymous with quality craftsmanship since its beginnings in 1906 and will continue with its premium Goodyear Welted production in Northamptonshire, as well as exploring further production capabilities in Portugal.

Japanese parent company of Fred Perry, Hit Union, will integrate George Cox into its strategy of growing and developing their brands and will help raise George Cox 's international profile through digital activities. Fred Perry has achieved record online sales this year, with digital sales up 33%.

Corporate partner at Gateley Legal, Nick Smith, led on the deal with support from associate Zum Mohammed, and solicitor Jennifer Philips.

Nick said: “It 's been great to work with Fred Perry on this deal to bring these two iconic brands together. It will be fascinating to watch Fred Perry 's global distribution network and digital expertise further develop George Cox as a global brand.

“We were proud to represent this leading British retail brand. ”

Richard Gilmore, managing director at Fred Perry said: “We 're very happy to welcome George Cox to the Fred Perry family and believe we can take them to new, exciting levels of success.

“We would like to thank Gateley Legal for their hard work and straight-talking advice which helped guide us through the process as smoothly as possible. ”

The Gateley Legal corporate team was recently ranked the most active deal adviser in the UK in 2020, according to The Experian MarketIQ UK M&A Report, after completing 194 disclosable transactions.