Authentic Brands Group to Acquire Majority Stake in Guess?

Deal Structure: The 51/49 Split and Shareholder Premiums Under the terms, ABG will own 51% of a new entity controlling almost all Guess intellectual property and global licensing agreements. The remaining 49% will stay in the hands of Guess’s founders—Maurice and Paul Marciano, Nicolai Marciano, and CEO Carlos Alberini.

Notably, Guess shareholders outside this group will receive a payout of $16.75 per share, representing a 26%–73% premium over earlier bids and previous stock prices. This is a significant uplift compared to March’s $13 per share offer from WHP Global, which the special committee ultimately declined in favor of Authentic.

The operating side of Guess will become a private entity, managed by the current leadership team.

This move means nearly 1,000 directly managed stores and over 600 partner-operated locations (totalling ∼1,600 stores across 100 countries) remain under Marciano and Alberini leadership, with no disruption of day-to-day operations anticipated…