Though Jamie Salter started with lesser-known consumer names, he spent much of the last decade acquiring ailing but widely recognized brands like Barneys New York, Sports Illustrated and Brooks Brothers. Now, he’ll do so in the public eye as Authentic filed paperwork for an initial public offering this week, Bloomberg News reported. “There is $13 trillion of branded commerce in our sights,” Salter wrote to prospective investors in a regulatory filing. That’s the retail value he envisions for potential merchandise in Authentic’s brand portfolio — not the licensing fees that now make up the bulk of revenues. It’s a measure of Salter’s confidence in growing global affluence, brand extensions and acquisitions. Authentic’s filing lists only a placeholder amount of $100 million, but Bloomberg has reported that the IPO could value the company around $10 billion. Net income grew fourfold to $225 million last year from $56 million in 2016, while revenue jumped to $489 million from $165 million.
