Ares Holdings
Ares Holdings is a Cape Town-based, privately held distributor and retailer that holds exclusive Southern African rights for premium global brands including Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude, Ted Baker and Oakley, operating 80+ retail stores, 3,500+ wholesale doors and six e-commerce platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ares Holdings does
Ares Holdings (Pty) Ltd is a Cape Town-based, privately held brand distribution and retail platform established in 2015 to commercialize premium global footwear, apparel and accessories brands in Southern Africa. The company holds exclusive distribution rights for Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude and Ted Baker, alongside a retail license for Oakley, and executes each brand through dedicated wholly-owned subsidiaries (Bash for Birkenstock, Freeform Trading for Crocs, Apollo Brands for Under Armour, Hestia Brands for Hey Dude, and Poseidon Brands for Ted Baker).
Ares operates a three-channel go-to-market model: owned retail (over 80 dedicated and multi-brand stores across Southern Africa), wholesale distribution to a network of more than 3,500 doors, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce on six brand-specific platforms (crocssa.co.za, bashafrica.com, underarmour.co.za, vans.co.za, heydudeshoes.co.za, o-store.co.za). It manages the full commercial lifecycle from range planning and procurement through importation, marketing, and last-mile consumer connection. Customers are split between Southern African independent retailers, multi-brand stores and sporting goods chains at the wholesale level, and end consumers at the retail and DTC level.
The underlying operating stack combines conventional retail ERP and supply-chain tooling with analytics and business-intelligence systems intended to map the consumer journey and improve assortment, inventory and pricing decisions across brands and channels. Revenue accrues from hardware-style sales through owned stores and e-commerce, alongside wholesale transaction value across the 3,500-door network. No financial KPIs (revenue, headcount, funding) are disclosed in the source material; the business is privately held under CEO Shaun Turner with no disclosed parent or institutional investors.
Ares Holdings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ares Holdings
- Legal name
- Ares Holdings (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://aresholdings.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ares Holdings is a Cape Town-based, privately held distributor and retailer that holds exclusive Southern African rights for premium global brands including Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude, Ted Baker and Oakley, operating 80+ retail stores, 3,500+ wholesale doors and six e-commerce platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Ares Holdings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ares Holdings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Sales (Owned Stores): Revenue generated from sales through over 80 owned retail stores across multiple brand portfolios including Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude, Ted Baker, and Oakley.
- E-commerce Sales: Revenue from six owned e-commerce platforms servicing consumers directly across all brand portfolios.
- Wholesale Distribution: Revenue from supplying products to over 3,500 wholesale doors across Southern Africa, including independent retailers and multi-brand stores.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels1 record
Ares Holdings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ares Holdings is a premium distribution company that holds exclusive distribution rights and a retail license for seven leading global footwear, apparel, and accessories brands (Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude, Ted Baker, and Oakley) in Southern Africa. The company delivers these brands to consumers through a curated multi-channel network comprising over 80 owned retail stores, more than 3,500 wholesale doors, and six owned e-commerce platforms, managing the full go-to-market process from range building and importation to marketing and consumer connection.
Product overview
Ares Holdings operates as a premium distribution company for global footwear, apparel, and accessories brands in Southern Africa. The company manages a portfolio of seven brands—Under Armour, Oakley (retail license), CROCS, BIRKENSTOCK, Vans, HEY DUDE, and Ted Baker—through a multi-channel distribution network comprising over 80 owned retail stores, more than 3,500 wholesale doors, and six owned e-commerce platforms. Each brand is distributed through distinct subsidiary entities (Apollo Brands for Under Armour, Freeform Trading for CROCS, Bash for BIRKENSTOCK, HESTIA BRANDS for HEY DUDE, Poseidon Brands for Ted Baker), with Ares Holdings providing the integrated business platform and infrastructure supporting brand and sales teams.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Under Armour Distribution in Southern Africa Exclusive distribution of the Under Armour premium sports performance apparel, footwear, and accessories brand in Southern Africa, operated through Apollo Brands Pty Ltd via owned retail stores, wholesale doors, and an e-commerce platform serving regional consumers.
- Oakley Retail in Southern Africa Retail operation of Oakley, a premium American eyewear and apparel brand founded in 1975 known for sunglasses, goggles, optical frames, and technical apparel featuring High Definition Optics (HDO), operated under a retail license through owned retail locations and an e-commerce platform.
- Crocs Distribution in Southern Africa Exclusive distribution of the Crocs footwear brand in Southern Africa, operated by Freeform Trading (Pty) Ltd through 17 owned retail stores, over 900 wholesale customers, and a dedicated e-commerce platform.
- Birkenstock Distribution in Southern Africa Exclusive distribution of the Birkenstock global footwear and lifestyle brand in Southern Africa, operated by Bash (Pty) Ltd through 10 owned retail doors and approximately 50 wholesale doors across South Africa.
- Vans Distribution in Southern Africa Exclusive distribution of the Vans original action sports footwear, apparel, and accessories brand in Southern Africa, an original action sports brand with over 2,000 retail locations globally and presence in more than 100 countries.
- Hey Dude Distribution in Southern Africa Distribution of the Hey Dude lightweight, comfortable footwear brand (founded in Italy in 2008, featuring Flex & Fold Technology) in Southern Africa, operated by Hestia Brands (Pty) Ltd through two retail doors and a dedicated e-commerce platform.
- Ted Baker Distribution in Southern Africa Distribution of the Ted Baker premium global lifestyle brand spanning menswear, womenswear, accessories, and more, in Southern Africa, operated by Poseidon Brands through 8 retail doors and a planned local e-commerce platform.
Companies that use Ares Holdings
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ares Holdings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ares Holdings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- VF Corporation (Vans Brand Parent)coreVF Corporation is the parent company of the Vans brand. Ares Holdings holds exclusive distribution rights for Vans in Southern Africa. Vans is an original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand with over 2,000 retail locations globally and presence in more than 100 countries.
- Luxottica (Oakley Parent)coreLuxottica (now part of EssilorLuxottica) is the Italian eyewear giant that owns Oakley. Ares Holdings holds a retail license for Oakley in Southern Africa, operating Oakley retail stores and e-commerce platform.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ares Holdings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Holdsport Holdings: JSE-listed South African sports retailer (Sportsmans Warehouse) that distributes international sports and lifestyle brands through owned stores and wholesale networks. Highly comparable to Ares' multi-brand distribution model in footwear, apparel, and accessories within the same geography.
- TFG (The Foschini Group): JSE-listed multi-brand fashion and lifestyle retailer in South Africa operating Foschini, Sportscene, Markham, and other brand formats through owned retail and wholesale channels. Closely comparable to Ares' combination of exclusive brand distribution with multi-channel retail in the same geography.
- Cape Union Mart: South African outdoor retailer operating multiple international brands (K-Way, First Ascent, etc.) through owned retail stores. Comparable multi-brand distribution and retail model in the same geography, though focused on outdoor rather than premium lifestyle categories.
Broad incumbents
- Pepkor Holdings: JSE-listed South African discount retailer with a multi-brand portfolio (PEP, Ackermans, Dunns, Tekkie Town). Broader retail incumbent in the same market; Tekkie Town in particular overlaps with Ares' footwear distribution.
- Mr Price Group: JSE-listed South African value retailer with multi-brand portfolio including MRP, Miladys, and Sheet Street, operating own retail and a growing e-commerce presence. Broader retail incumbent in the same market with overlapping consumer segments.
- Woolworths Holdings: JSE-listed South African premium retailer spanning food and fashion through own stores and e-commerce. Broader retail incumbent in the same market with premium positioning that overlaps with Ted Baker and other Ares brands.
- Truworths International: JSE-listed South African fashion retailer with a multi-brand model (Truworths, Identity, Office, Lovelaughs). Broader retail incumbent in the same South African fashion market with premium positioning that overlaps with several Ares brands.
- Edcon (Retailability): South African multi-brand fashion retailer (Edgars, Jet, Legit) now operating under Retailability. Broader retail incumbent in the same market with a comparable multi-brand distribution model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ares Holdings social profiles
Digital presenceAres Holdings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ares Holdings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ares Holdings subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Ares Holdings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ares Holdings M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ares Holdings
What does Ares Holdings do?
Ares Holdings is a premium distribution company that holds exclusive distribution rights and a retail license for seven leading global footwear, apparel, and accessories brands (Crocs, Birkenstock, Under Armour, Vans, Hey Dude, Ted Baker, and Oakley) in Southern Africa. The company delivers these brands to consumers through a curated multi-channel network comprising over 80 owned retail stores, more than 3,500 wholesale doors, and six owned e-commerce platforms, managing the full go-to-market process from range building and importation to marketing and consumer connection.
Is Ares Holdings a public or private company?
Ares Holdings is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Ares Holdings founded?
Ares Holdings was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ares Holdings based?
Ares Holdings is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Ares Holdings make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales (Owned Stores) is the primary driver. The others are E-commerce Sales and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Ares Holdings's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Holdsport Holdings, TFG (The Foschini Group) and Cape Union Mart. Broad incumbents are Pepkor Holdings, Mr Price Group, Woolworths Holdings, Truworths International and Edcon (Retailability).
Does Ares Holdings have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ares Holdings.