Mike Ashley, the acquisitive boss of Frasers Group who is bidding for Debenhams, the biggest and oldest British department store chain, is reportedly interested now also in some of the assets of Arcadia, the bankrupt fashion retailing group that holds the largest number of concessions in Debenhams stores. His interests are said to coincide more or less with those of the Authentic Brands Group, which recently bought big stakes into two major U.S. retail chains, Barneys New York and Brooks Brothers. The auction for Arcadia’s assets, which include big U.K. fashion chains like Topshop, is conducted by Deloitte. It is said to have attracted up to 40 potential bids. Boohoo, the British online retailer, has been mentioned as one of the favorites.

Topics