Frasers reportedly planning member-only relaunch of Matches

Frasers Group is believed to be planning to revive luxury retailer Matches as a members-only platform, offering services like personalised shopping and early access to limited edition items to a select group of shoppers.

According to an internal pitch deck seen by The Times, Frasers, the parent company of Sports Direct, is expected to bring Matches back as an exclusive luxury fashion and lifestyle members concept. Membership will be selected by a committee of founder members, the media outlet claimed, akin to private clubs like Soho House.

Frasers Group issued a no comment to FashionUnited on the matter.

The initial relaunch is expected to happen by the end of 2025 and is being overseen by chief brand partnerships officer, David Epstein, and former Matches womenswear director, Leanne Wiggins.

While womenswear is to be the core focus, the company is anticipated to expand the concept out into menswear and international markets at a later stage. It has also been suggested that Matches could return to London’s retail market in a physical presence.

There is a sense of hesitancy towards the proposed plans given the timeline of Frasers’ ownership of Matches. Towards the end of 2023, the retail group snapped up the luxury e-tailer in a 52 million pound deal and just months later placed the company into administration.

Frasers then opted to reacquire Matches’ intellectual property, yet financial trouble had been brewing beneath the surface as revealed by financial documents published in April 2025. Here, administrators stated that unsecured creditors of Matches were said to be owed around 49.5 million pounds, surpassing the 31 million pounds originally cited in the statement of affairs. There are around 956 claims made by creditors, according to the filings.