Glue Store is set to make a comeback on the Australian retail scene, with new owner Brand Collective confirming plans to open new locations and overhaul the youth fashion brand just months after its sudden and complete closure. The acquisition — announced this week — also includes digital marketplace The DOM and activewear label Running Bare, signalling a broad strategic push by Brand Collective into new retail and ecommerce territory.
Glue Store relaunch: what Brand Collective has planned
Brand Collective said it intends to build on Glue Store's existing brand recognition with a "renewed focus on updated brand assortment, improved digital experience and new stores planned as part of the relaunch." However, the group has not yet disclosed how many new stores it plans to open, or when the first location will return to shopping centres.
The relaunch will give Glue Store access to Brand Collective's wider retail, ecommerce, marketing and operational capabilities — resources the brand lacked in its final months under previous ownership. Further details on the relaunch timeline are expected to be revealed in the coming months.
Glue Store was once one of Australia's most recognisable youth fashion retailers, with around 33 stores at its peak. Former owner Accent Group closed 17 of those locations in 2024, leaving 16 stores operating before the brand was ultimately shut down entirely — taking its online operation with it — after recording an $8.4 million loss. The abrupt closure left both shoppers and staff facing an uncertain future.
A broader acquisition strategy: The DOM and Running Bare
The Glue Store deal is one piece of a larger three-brand acquisition. Brand Collective chief executive David Thomas said the group saw "enormous potential across all three" businesses.
"These acquisitions demonstrate Brand Collective's ongoing evolution and innovation as a business," Thomas said.
The DOM is central to a new direction for the group. Brand Collective said the acquisitions of both Glue Store and The DOM would expand its digital capability and establish a new multi-brand marketplace division within the company. The DOM previously operated as a digital platform connecting customers with discounted and clearance stock, with products shipped directly from participating brands. Brand Collective plans to transform it into a broader destination for fashion, footwear and lifestyle products.
"The DOM brings an established digital marketplace platform to the Group," Thomas said, adding that the group would draw on its existing brand portfolio, supplier relationships and ecommerce expertise to build out the new offering at competitive prices.
Running Bare will follow a different path again. The Australian activewear label, founded in 1983, has more than four decades of heritage and a loyal following. Rather than being absorbed or reinvented, the brand will retain its distinct identity while gaining access to Brand Collective's broader retail, wholesale, marketing and operational support network.
"With more than four decades of heritage and a loyal customer following, Running Bare will retain its distinct identity while gaining access to the Group's broader retail, ecommerce, wholesale, marketing and operational capabilities," Thomas said.
What this means for Australian retail
The three acquisitions add meaningfully to Brand Collective's already substantial portfolio of international and Australian brands, and signal the group's appetite for growth at a time when mid-market retail across Australia continues to face significant headwinds. The Glue Store revival in particular will be closely watched, given how prominent the brand once was in the youth fashion segment and how sharply it fell.
For consumers who followed the brand, the relaunch offers a potential return of a familiar name — albeit one that will look and operate differently than before. The combination of new store locations, a refreshed product mix and a stronger digital backbone suggests Brand Collective is betting that Glue Store's brand equity still holds value with Australian shoppers. The competitive nature of Australian fashion retail means that rebuilding consumer trust after a closure will be among the steepest challenges ahead.
Brand Collective has not set a firm date for any of the new Glue Store openings, and further announcements are expected in the months ahead.
