Scotch & Soda, sometimes branded as Scotch & Soda Amsterdam, is a Dutch fashion retail company founded in 1985 by Laurent Hompes and currently owned by brand management firm Bluestar Alliance. In 2023, Scotch & Soda filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands, followed by its European and German divisions in 2024.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Design, distribution and sales of clothing and accessories |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Laurent Hompes |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam and Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
Area served | Europe, Oceania, North America, Asia, Middle East, Africa |
Key people | Thomas Bervoets (CEO) Suzanne Smit (CFO) |
| Products | Apparel Accessories |
| Owner |
|
| Website | scotchandsoda |
History
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Origins
editFounded as a menswear label in the 1980s, Scotch & Soda was an international brand when it was sold in 2011 to Kellwood and Sun Capital Partners. The brand was sold in over 7,000 shops worldwide, but there were also 30 company-owned and franchised retail stores.[1]
Expansion
editIn January 2020, four months after Frederick Lukoff was named CEO,[2] the company launched sunglasses and eye glasses ranges for men and women. Until then sold in 8,000 stores and 250 branded stores,[3] it announced the launch of its third perfume, Island Water, in May of the same year.[4]
On March 16, 2021, Scotch & Soda announced the acceleration of its global expansion, with the opening of 15 brick-and-mortar stores and 12 shop-in-shops over the next six months. In addition, the company announced the launch of its new brand identity.[5]
After opening 16 new stores between October 2021 and April 2022, the company planned at the time to open 20 more stores in the next six months - including flagship stores in London and Milan. Seven other shops were planned in major cities outside Europe.[6] In June 2022, Scotch & Soda opened its flagship store on the Via Alessandro Manzoni in Milan. At the time, the company planned to open another nine stores in shops in the high end retail chain La Rinascente.[7]
In 2023, Joe Jonas became the brand's first "ambassador". He was appointed to lead in designing a new collection capsule to be launched in Fall 2024.[8]
Takeover and bankruptcy
editOn 11 May 2023, brand management firm Bluestar Alliance, which also owns Bebe Stores, Hurley International, Justice and Brookstone, completed the acquisition of the company.[9] A week before the Bluestar Alliance agreed to acquire it for an undisclosed sum,[10] Scotch & Soda filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands on 20 March 2023.[11][12]
In June 2024, Scotch & Soda Europe also filed for bankruptcy, blaming continual losses as a result. The company planned to keep its stores open for the time being.[13] However in August 2024, Scotch & Soda Germany also filed for bankruptcy and announced to close all of it nearly 40 stores within the same week.[14]
References
edit- ^ Volkmann, Kelsey (2011-07-27). "Kellwood, Sun Capital to buy Scotch & Soda". Archived from the original on 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
...has expanded to include a women's collection called Maison Scotch, a boy's collection named Scotch Shrunk, a girl's collection called Scotch R'Belle and a denim collection called Amsterdams Blauw.
- ^ "WWD.com - Scotch & Soda Names Frederick Lukoff Chief Executive Officer". 2019-06-19.
- ^ "Drapersonline.com - Scotch & Soda Launches Eyewear Line". 2020-01-28.
- ^ "Numeromag.nl - Scotch & Soda Launches ISLAND WATER fragrance". 2020-05-26.
- ^ "WWD.com - Scotch & Soda Sets Punchy Retail Rollout Plan, Retools Logo". 2021-06-16.
- ^ Van Rompaey, Stefan (April 7, 2022). "Scotch & Soda zet wereldverovering verder" [Scotch & Soda continues to conquer the world]. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ Neerman, Pauline (June 22, 2022). "In beeld: Scotch & Soda maakt ambitieus statement in Milaan" [In focus: Scotch & Soda makes ambitious statement in Milan]. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Joe Jonas Announced As First-Ever Brand Ambassador For Scotch & Soda". V Magazine. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Bluestar Alliance Acquires Scotch & Soda USA Assets and Appoints Fashion Veteran Anthony Lucia To Oversee the Global Business". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
- ^ Sterling, Toby (2023-03-27). "U.S. brand management firm Bluestar Alliance buys Scotch & Soda label". Reuters.
- ^ "Fashion retailer Scotch & Soda seeks bankruptcy for Dutch operations". Reuters. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "Nederlandse tak van kledingketen Scotch & Soda is failliet". March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ "Scotch & Soda in bankruptcy again in Europe". Retail Detail. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ tagesschau.de - "Scotch & Soda closes all stores" (German) 29 August 2024
External links
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Media related to Scotch & Soda at Wikimedia Commons