Hogarth, who was at the helm of Marks & Spencer footwear supplier Lambert Howarth for seven years, is working with Agent Provocateur founders Joe Corre and Serena Rees in a consultancy capacity already. He is likely to take the role of chief executive when the deal completes. Corre and Rees, who are credited with creating one of the first upmarket lingerie brands, will remain with the business.
Hogarth denied market speculation that Ted Baker founder Ray Kelvin was also involved in the deal. He said: 'I am helping Agent Provocateur with the supply chain at the moment and we are in negotiations about investment. I expect a deal to complete in the next couple of weeks.'
The lingerie business has enormous roll-out possibilities and global recognition far beyond its 23-store scale, with stores and concessions in Europe, the US, the Middle East, Asia and Russia.
Hogarth said: 'The brand has incredible potential, but the business needs more organisation and structure. It is already well funded from within and there is quite a big roll-out plan.'
Hogarth founded accessories supplier Fast Forward in the 1980s and combined it with Lambert Howarth in 1999, taking over as chief executive of the group. He stepped down from Lambert Howarth earlier this year.
He said: 'I've had enough of running public companies and private-label businesses, which are very tough today. I want to invest in small brands with a lot of potential and build them up. I had great fun doing that with my accessories business in the 1980s.'
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