Matt Maddox says the Reebok and Champion owner is ready to list within the year, as it deepens ties to creator-led media through a new joint venture with Stephen Bartlett.
Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the New York-based brand-management and licensing company behind Reebok and Champion, could go public as early as the first half of 2027, chief executive Matt Maddox said in a Bloomberg Television interview on September 14.
Maddox told Bloomberg the company’s systems, staff and narrative were now in place, calling the business “ready to go.” It would mark ABG’s third attempt at a public listing. Founder and executive chairman Jamie Salter told CNBC in May that ABG had filed for an IPO twice before and been acquired by private equity firms at higher valuations both times, and that he expected a listing within 12 months of that interview.
ABG’s portfolio spans more than 50 brands, including Brooks Brothers and Sports Illustrated, generating more than $36 billion in annual systemwide retail sales, according to the company.
The Bloomberg interview centered on ABG’s tie-up with Stephen Bartlett, the British entrepreneur and podcast host. Rather than acquiring a stake outright, ABG structured the deal as a joint venture, a structure Maddox said reflects the company’s view of the creator economy as a growth engine for media and audience expansion over the next decade.
