Der Spiegel sums it up very well:
Deichmann is acquiring the complete brand rights, but wants to concentrate on the shoes product area, Esprit explained. Deichmann has reportedly already been a licensee of Esprit since 2019. According to Deichmann, the brand rights for the Esprit textile division will go to the “Theia Group of Companies”.
Two things are particularly exciting:
I actually wasn't aware that Deichmann had already held a licence for five years.
They have bought the entire trademark right and are sublicensing the textile division
This is certainly an exciting strategy for Deichmann. Shein and Co. mean that the current own brands lack differentiating features. They account for a large proportion of sales and are therefore in direct competition with the new mega platforms.
Well-known brands are difficult to copy, especially if they are only available exclusively from one retailer. The question now, of course, is whether Deichmann will go ahead and acquire additional brand rights?
I could almost bet on it.