Andy Dunn, founder of Bonobos, will join WHP Global in an advisory role to help the company manage the recently acquired Bonobos brand. He will partner with Express CEO Tim Baxter and Bonobos President John Hutchinson to help drive the future of the brand.
Dunn originally departed from Walmart and Bonobos in 2020 but did not provide information about the reasons for his departure or his future plans.
“Getting back into the mix at Bonobos is a magical, full-circle moment,” said Dunn in a statement. “Yehuda [Shmidman, CEO and Chairman of WHP Global], Tim and the teams at WHP Global and Express are wonderful people and will be exceptional brand stewards. In partnership with John and the strong leadership team at Bonobos, we’re going to do great things on behalf of current and future Bonobos customers.”
WHP Global and Express acquired Bonobos from Walmart for a combined purchase price of $75 million in April. This marked the first joint acquisition made by WHP Global and Express since finalizing their strategic partnership earlier in 2023. Express plans to leverage its own strengths in the men’s fashion space to boost Bonobos’ presence in underpenetrated categories as well as drive greater brand awareness and customer acquisition.
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“The future of the Bonobos brand is incredibly exciting as we welcome back Andy Dunn and focus on activating the brand’s potential by leveraging the combined platforms of WHP Global and Express,” said Yehuda Shmidman, CEO and Chairman of WHP Global. “With Andy Dunn’s extensive expertise and unwavering passion for the brand, we are confident that he will play a vital role in guiding the Bonobos brand through its next phase of growth.”
Walmart parted with Bonobos at a significant loss —the retail giant had spent $310 million to acquire Bonobos in 2017. Walmart also sold plus-size fashion brand Eloquii to FullBeauty Brands in April. While the retailer didn’t give specific reasons for selling the two digital brands, the move coincided with a revamp of Walmart’s online experience to emphasize discovery, and reducing the number of brands could help to streamline the customer experience.
