F&F: how its people are moving

Banseog note · Oct 25, 2026

F&F — a company that has begun to own the brands it used to license

Where it stands now

Transition — shifting from a licensing business to brand ownership and acquisitions in adjacent businesses

Sales in the second quarter of 2026 were KRW 399.6 billion, up 5.5% from a year earlier, and operating profit rose 2.9% to KRW 86.5 billion. In Korea, MLB led growth along with the inflow of foreign tourists.

According to Korea's National Pension Service public workplace data, the company had 575 people on the pension register in August 2026, 39 (6.3%) fewer than in October 2025. Over that period 120 people joined and 165 left.

Three decisions within a year

1. Acquisition of Discovery's global IP: on August 13, 2026 it agreed to buy the global trademark rights and all related IP of 'Discovery Expedition' from US-based Discovery Communications for USD 80 million (about KRW 113.2 billion). The deal covers trademark rights from clothing, footwear and bags to cosmetics and retail and online services, and the company plans to extend the brand into active wellness.
2. Entry into household consumer goods: on April 13, 2026 it decided to invest KRW 67.2 billion in an investment partnership formed with Meritz and Tigris. The partnership acquired a 70% stake in Ssukssuk Company, operator of diffuser brand 'Hetras', for KRW 154 billion (an enterprise value of KRW 220 billion).
3. Discovery store openings abroad: stores in China grew from 5 at the end of 2024 to 23 in 2025, and it has drawn up plans to expand stores into Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Three people it will look for

1. Global brand business and licensing — must run the Discovery trademark rights it now owns country by country and manage business rights
2. Overseas retail opening and operations manager — must lead on the ground the expansion of Discovery stores in Greater China and Southeast Asia
3. Post-merger integration (PMI) and household consumer goods business — must grow businesses outside fashion and align operations after the Hetras acquisition

For HR

Overseas brand operations and store-opening staff are people that other large fashion companies and Korean brands hurrying to go abroad are also looking for. With the trademark transfer under way, now is the time to hire leaders to run each country's business.

For job seekers

Experience extending brand IP overseas, or opening stores yourself in Greater China or Southeast Asia, is worth the most at this company right now.

A reading written from public sources. Sources: EBN 2026-07-31 (Q2 results), Seoul Shinmun 2026-08-13 (Discovery IP acquisition price and scope), Bridge Economy 2026-08-13 (active wellness expansion), Bloter 2026-07-21 (Hetras acquisition structure and investment), The Guru 2026-05-31 (number of stores in China, regions for openings), Korea's National Pension Service public workplace data (headcount). Team size is from Korea's pension register.