Hot Topic, Inc. Announces Purchase of Assets of Her Universe, Proprietary Fangirl Brand
City of Industry, CA (PRWEB) October 28, 2016 -- Hot Topic, Inc. today announced that the company has acquired certain assets of Her Universe LLC from Founder Ashley Eckstein and The Araca Group. Hot Topic will operate the Her Universe brand e-commerce and wholesale businesses as a division of Hot Topic, Inc.
The acquisition of Her Universe, a fashion-forward apparel and accessories line for the female sci-fi and fantasy fans, will strengthen Hot Topic’s offerings and solidify its position as the go-to destination for pop culture.
"We are very excited to partner with Ashley Eckstein and Her Universe,” said Steve Vranes, CEO of Hot Topic. “We have worked closely with Ashley, Araca, and Her Universe over the past six years, together bringing fangirl fashion to a growing community of passionate fans. Ashley and Araca have built an incredible brand with a loyal customer base, and we look forward to supporting Her Universe in this new capacity.”
“I am thrilled to be bringing Her Universe to the Hot Topic family of brands,” said Ashley Eckstein, Founder of Her Universe. “Six years ago I founded Her Universe with the mission to create an empowering community and t-shirt brand for fangirls. We’ve since grown into a fashion, entertainment, publishing and lifestyle brand. Operating as a division of Hot Topic, Her Universe will continue to be a stand-alone brand selling to various retailers but with the support needed to grow the company in ways I have always dreamed.”
“We have had a tremendous experience building Her Universe alongside Ashley for the past six years,” said Mike Rego, CEO of The Araca Group. “Steve and his team at Hot Topic presented an incredibly compelling vision for the future of the brand, and we feel extremely confident that Hot Topic and Ashley will together now lead Her Universe in ways that will satisfy and delight fans for years to come.”
About Hot Topic
Hot Topic is a leading mall and web-based specialty retailer offering music/pop culture licensed and influenced apparel and accessories. Hot Topic operates more than 700 stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada and two websites: http://www.hottopic.com and http://www.boxlunch.com. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Hot Topic is a portfolio company of Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm based in New York specializing in retail and consumer investments.
About Her Universe
Her Universe was launched in 2010 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein and The Araca Group, a theatrical production and brand activation company. Her Universe markets to the female sci-fi and fantasy fans by developing and producing a line of female-centered apparel and accessories collections for such licenses as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Marvel, and Studio Ghibli. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to http://www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein & Her Universe on Facebook (facebook.com/HerUniverse) and Twitter (twitter.com/HerUniverse).
About The Araca Group
Araca is a brand activation and theatrical production company with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, London, and Sydney. Araca works closely with clients across multiple entertainment verticals to deliver top-quality service through unique distribution channels, including live event merchandising, e-commerce, retail, licensing, and theatrical production. Clients include Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Warner Bros., Cirque du Soleil, Beyoncé, Linkin Park, Zayn Malik, NWA, and Britney Spears. http://www.araca.com.
Dan Madsen, Her Universe, http://www.heruniverse.com, +1 (646) 922-0663, [email protected]
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