Founders remain involved
Founders John van den Herik and Yvonne Woudstra will remain involved, even after the acquisition. “We have created a licence model and we should be able to successfully continue that”, Van den Herik told RetailNews. “Alongside a small team, we will be responsible for Lief!’s design and branding.” Kids Fashion Group will then market the label on an international level.
Not all stores will transfer to the new owner. Its web shop and its Sliedrecht-based concept store will still be open, but it remains to be seen if that is also the case for the other stores. The brand will definitely have to trim down, which will have repercussions for the current store network.
Lief! Lifestyle went bankrupt in May, partly because of its international expansion – with planned stores in Beijing and Berlin – cost a lot of money. Thanks to the acquisition, it will be able to continue that expansion.
