Brooks Bros to be acquired by Jos A. Bank

Just saw this on the wire services. Wow.



/// NEW YORK (API) --- Privately held Retail Brands Alliance has announced in principle, the sale of its New York based U.S. unit, Brooks Brothers mens apparel division, to Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ: JOSB) Clothiers, Hampstead, MD. Financial terms were not disclosed. Claudio del Vecchio, Chairman of the Board of RBA stated "the combination of these two venerable American brands has been under consideration for some time. The ability to better source materials, scale, and increased market penetration is the catalyst for combining the brands. Brooks Brothers has been outfitting American gentlemen for almost 200 years, and Jos A. Bank has been doing the same for more than 100 years. As customers demand higher quality and greater selection, we feel that the volumes that these two iconic brands can generate will enable the combined company to serve the enhanced customer base better than anyone in the industry. The combined company will be known as 'Brooks Brothers Bank' with over 700 stores in 16 countries."

R. Neal Black, CEO of Jos A. Bank, will lead the combined company. (update2)

---April 1, 2011
80629

Is this an April Fool's joke, or is this the end of Brooks?

Mike

Brooks Brothers Bank! gotta be april fools shenanigans

don't believe it.

Def an April Fools joke.

No it's real.

Buy one Extra Slim Fit OCBD and get 30 sets of cufflinks for $99! That's right, just $99!

Only at Brooks Brothers Bank!

O.

yes its a joke

its a joke because upon Googleing this.... this thread is the only thing that comes up.

The internet is especially tiresome on April Fool's day.

wow. i was already looking at april fool's suspicion when i saw the title, but at the same time i was thinking 'what a weak april fools joke' since i could care less for brooks bros or jos a bank

That was an especially well-written fake press release, actually. But there should have been some ridiculous hilarity at the end of it.

All in all, well played, classicusa!

Originally Posted by AntiHero84

Click to expand...

Buy one Extra Slim Fit OCBD and get 30 sets of cufflinks for $99! That's right, just $99!

Only at Brooks Brothers Bank!

ha. The guy who does those ads has the most annoying voice. The fake enthusiasm is awful. Especially considering that Jos A Bank has some massive fire sale every damn weekend.

I don't see what it would matter if it were true. I am so dissatisfied with everything at Brooks Brothers that I won't buy anything there anyway. Their service is terrible, their internet site and shipping is terrible, their products for the most part, are not any better than the top of the line JAB. The one thing they do have over any other on-line merchant is that they are pretty good at sending out updates notifying you that the products you have purchased will not be shipped anytime within the next decade.

BB should be embarrassed as to what they have become.