Guess? and WHP Global Make Sense Together to Me

Retail
Written By Rick Watson

The Board of Directors of Guess recently revealed that the company has received a "take-private" proposal from WHP Global, and the company is considering the offer.

What does it mean?

Well, for one, WHP Global and Guess? are already partnered together. WHP acquired the intellectual property of rag & bone last year, and Guess is running the operations (since WHP Global is a licensing firm, it does not directly operate retail).

I suspect the relationship between the companies has given them both a very good view of each other. The tie-up makes sense. Guess is still to this day a venerable brand, and WHP likely has more situations in which it needs operating partners. I suspect in that sense, Guess will remain somewhat of an arms-length operating partner for WHP Global even after the transaction -- just not as a public company.

WHP Global like all IP licensing owners will of course keep acquiring companies, which gives them an almost constant need to operate even as it collects IP. It will be interesting to see what happens here.

Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
Previous

The State of the Consumer: From Resilient to Choiceful to Stressed and Cautious?
Next

Adobe Teasing New Commerce Offerings: I'm Not Eating the Cheese