Frasers Group, the British company best known for its Sports Direct and House of Fraser retail concepts, has acquired a 41.98 per cent shareholding in the Maltese company Hudson Holdings Limited.

Hudson Holdings is the company behind the popular Urban Jungle chain of sportswear retailers, as well as Urban Bratz and Hudson Store.

It is also the representative of sports brands like NIKE, Converse, Timberland, New Era, Intersport, and of fast fashion and designer brands like Armani Exchange, Mango, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Kiabi.

Hudson Holdings is one the leading fashion retailers in Malta, and is also active in the European and North African markets. It is also the official distributor for NIKE in over 29 countries, according to its website.

The acquisition of a significant shareholding by Frasers Group, led by billionaire Mike Ashley, follows the conclusion of an agreement between the two firms in October 2024.

The agreement, contemplates the possibility of additional staggered acquisitions by Frasers Group in the capital of Hudson Holdings Limited at future dates, potentially leading Frasers Group to holding a controlling interest in the Maltese company.

In a company announcement, Hudson Holdings assured stakeholders that it remains committed to keeping the market informed of all material developments, ensuring continued transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements.

The announcement also included news of the resignation of George Amato and Kevin Valenzia from the company’s Board of Directors, and the appointment of Stephen Paris.

Hudson Holdings described Mr Paris as “a highly experienced accountant and auditor” with a distinguished career spanning over 30 years at Deloitte Malta, where he was admitted as a partner in 2000.

During his tenure, Mr Paris held several key leadership roles, including Head of Audit, Financial Services Industry Leader and Head of Risk and Regulatory Advisory. Mr Paris retired from Deloitte Malta in 2019.