Outdoor Voices Finds New Owner After Reports of Near-Bankruptcy

Investment firm Consortium Brand Partners announced on Monday that it acquired athleisure brand Outdoor Voices on May 15 for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition comes three months after Sourcing Journal reported that the 10-year-old activewear start-up was planning to file for bankruptcy. Once a hit among Millennials for its colourful athleisure in its signature geometric patterns, the brand eventually struggled to grow profitably. Entrepreneur Ashley Merrill acquired a majority stake in Outdoor Voices after founder Tyler Haney exited in 2020, and bailed the company out in 2022 with the intention of restructuring the business to achieve profitability.

But under Merrill’s direction, Outdoor Voices’ troubles persisted. In March, the brand closed all of its 16 retail stores to focus solely on its e-commerce business, firing most of its corporate staff and missing vendor and rent payments, according to the Sourcing Journal report.

Consortium Brand Partners, which bought a majority stake in Reese Witherspoon’s clothing brand Draper James last September, has cleared all of Outdoor Voices’ debt, and Merrill has left the business, said Jonathan Greller, Consortium Brand Partners’ co-founder and president. Under the helm of president Katie Siano, who joined the company in 2021, Outdoor Voices is embarking on a multi-year turnaround plan that will include adding footwear, loungewear and swimwear to its assortment, ramping up retail partnerships and investing in events, Greller added.

“We’re about building organic growth,” Greller said. “We’re in no rush to acquire a brand and push it out.”

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Report: Outdoor Voices’ Former Employees Say Bankruptcy Is Imminent

The embattled athleisure brand has mounting cash problems, Sourcing Journal says.