Bankrupt Retailers Find New Life as Brand Licensors Revive Defunct Names

Barneys New York went bankrupt in 2019 but its brand lives on under new ownership that specializes in reviving dead brands.

Companies like Authentic Brands Group buy the intellectual property of bankrupt retailers and make money by licensing the brand names.

Authentic Brands Group owns the rights to many brands like Forever 21, Brooks Brothers, and Barneys and profits from licensing deals.

The model works by having no physical stores or inventory, just owning the brand identity and selling rights to use it.

Determining which dead brands can be successfully revived and expanded globally is risky but lucrative if done right.