Kellwood gets Jockey licensing deal for kidswear

Kellwood Co., which has been restructuring to add better brands to its portfolio, said Monday that its Gerber Childrenswear Inc. division has reached a licensing agreement with Jockey International Inc. to make Jockey-branded underwear and sleepwear for infants, toddlers and children.

Kellwood, which is based in Town and Country, would not comment on the value of the deal. The Jockey brand of men’s women’s and children’s underwear and related apparel is sold through some 14,000 department and specialty stores.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Jockey to work with an established expert in the children’s apparel industry that can grow Jockey children’s apparel business and introduce new categories, Milou Gwyn, Jockey’s vice president of domestic licensing, said in a statement. “This initiative also enables Jockey to dedicate more resources to our core business and adult apparel.”

Gerber Childrenswear Inc., which is based in New York, will distribute these products in the United States and Canada.

The deal comes after Kellwood has twice rejected a $21 per share bid from Sun Capital Securities Group, its second-largest shareholder. Kellwood has said the offer is too low and “significantly undervalues the strength of Kellwood’s expanded portfolio of brands and the company’s opportunities for sales and earnings growth.”