Bendon takes Elle's brand global

Australian supermodel and actress Elle Macpherson has signed a licensing agreement with Bendon that will see her Elle Macpherson Intimates lingerie brand marketed around the world.

Bendon's 100 per cent owner, Pacific Retail Group, said the agreement paved the way for the launch of Elle Macpherson Intimates in the United States in February next year and also in the Persian Gulf states. The brand is already successful in New Zealand, Australia and Britain.

"In due course, a full global presence is anticipated," Pacific Retail told the NZX.

Pacific Retail said total sales of the brand, launched in 1990, last year grew by about 25 per cent to US$70 million ($101 million), with British sales growing about 33 per cent.

Bendon chief executive Stefan Preston said his company was "excited about the opportunity of extending the EMI brand into new markets".

- NZPA