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Urban Automotive Opens U.S. HQ in Phoenix to Serve Luxury Tuning Market

Urban Automotive Opens U.S. HQ in Phoenix to Serve Luxury Tuning Market

Miami Heralda day ago
Urban Automotive, the British luxury car modifier best known for its carbon-fiber styling kits and "OEM+" design philosophy, has officially launched operations in the United States. As of July 2, 2025, the company has opened a dedicated North and South America division, anchored by a newly established warehouse and distribution facility in Phoenix, Arizona.This marks a significant step in Urban's global expansion strategy, moving away from its former U.S. distribution setup - which was previously handled through a partnership with Milltek Corp in Tennessee - toward a more hands-on, directly managed presence. The move is being supported by Urban's parent company, The AM Group, and executed as a joint venture with Daniel Weber, who will oversee operations stateside.
A Benchmark Brand, Now On U.S. Soil
Since its founding in 2014, Urban Automotive has carved out a unique position in the UK aftermarket scene, offering luxury body kits and carbon-fiber parts for high-end models including Range Rover, Defender, Bentley, Mercedes-AMG, and Lamborghini. The company's "OEM+" approach focuses on factory-grade fit and finish, often making their builds indistinguishable from manufacturer-grade special editions - only more aggressive, more exclusive, and more bespoke.Now, with the Phoenix facility online, Urban says it can significantly reduce delivery times, improve customer service, and grow its dealer and builder network across the Americas. The Arizona site will act as both a logistics and support hub, enabling faster fulfilment and a more tailored client experience."There's nothing like Urban in the U.S. market," said Daniel Weber. "We're not trying to replicate existing brands - this is European refinement, obsessively crafted for a different kind of client."Urban Director Luis Carrera added: "The U.S. has always led the way in turning lifestyle into culture. That's where Urban fits in - British design, European refinement, now with boots on the ground."
Building Momentum
Urban's growth has been fast and deliberate. In 2023 alone, the company reported a 173% year-over-year increase in overseas sales, reaching over £3.8 million in exports across 23 countries. It has also expanded R&D and production capacity in the UK, recently acquiring a 42,000+ sq ft facility in Milton Keynes to support rising demand.The Phoenix hub gives Urban a strategic foothold near key West Coast markets while also tapping into the city's fast-growing status as a premium automotive centre. With companies like Lucid Motors and major EV tech suppliers operating nearby, Phoenix has become a key location for vehicle development and aftermarket innovation.
What This Means For U.S. Buyers
For American buyers, Urban's arrival means quicker access to bespoke body kits, faster delivery times, and a more direct support system. It also puts the British brand into clearer competition with U.S.-based tuning companies - many of which focus on performance rather than design - allowing Urban to stand out with its tailored aesthetic and luxury materials.Urban Automotive has already built a presence at U.S. events like SEMA, and its custom builds - including celebrity-owned Range Rovers and Defenders - have helped the brand gain traction in the American aftermarket. With the Phoenix expansion now live, Urban says it plans to roll out more regional partnerships and exclusive builds throughout 2025.This isn't just a logistics play - it's a long-term move to embed Urban's identity into the North American luxury and customization scene.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Date: June 20 Filing type: Chapter 7 CaaStle is a fashion brand that worked with brands and retailers to rent their unsold inventory to consumers seeking particular pieces of clothing on a temporary basis (e.g., for a special event). CaaStle's Chapter 7 filing came less than three months after former CEO Christine Hunsicker resigned in the wake of a fraud scandal that resulted in the company losing over $500 million in previously promised funding. In the filing, CaaStle listed between $10 and $50 million in both assets and liabilities. It is unclear how many of the company's creditors will be made whole once the company finishes liquidating is assets. Date: June 9Filing type: Chapter 11 Caraway tea, a prominent importer and manufacturer of tea products, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 9, listing $614,660 in assets and almost $2.7 million in liabilities. The company is a co-packer, meaning it works with brands that want to create and sell tea products by handling their sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution processes. Related: The best environmentally friendly SUVs according to Consumer Reports Date: May 29Filing type: Chapter 7 Intrepid USA, a large, Texas-based home care and hospice provider, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on May 29, listing between $1 million and $10 million in assets and $88 million in liabilities. The company, which has been in financial trouble for years, first filed for bankruptcy more than 20 years prior in 2004, after which it was purchased by Lynn Tilton's Patriarch Partners, a firm that specializes in managing companies with debt issues. In 2024, however, it was sold to CenterWell Health Services and fined by the Department of Justice for submitting fraudulent medicare May 5Filing type: Chapter 11 Rite Aid, once one of the largest and best-known pharmacy retailers in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 5, less than two years after its previous bankruptcy filing in October of 2023. The brand emerged from its previous bankruptcy as a private company with ownership divided among its previous creditors after closing around 800 stores and selling off its pharma benefit subsidiary, Elixir. At the time of Rite Aid's filing on May 5, the company listed between $1 billion and $10 billion in both assets and liabilities. As of early July, over 1200 stores remained nationwide, but the company had already begun the process of closing them in waves. Date: April 28Filing type: Chapter 11 Nebraska Brewing Co., which operates a brewery and taproom in La Vista and also sells its beers to retailers, bars, and restaurants for resale, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late April. According to the brewery's leadership, the financial straits that led to the filing were spurred by supply chain issues and other economic pressures. Nevertheless, the company remains operational and hopes to emerge from the restructuring process and continue to serve its customers, according to a Facebook post. The filing listed assets of between $100,000 and $500,000 and liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million. Paul and Kim Kavulak, the brewery's majority owners, are among the creditors listed in the company's bankruptcy filing. Date: April 24Filing type: Chapter 11 Bertucci's Restaurant Corp., operator of a regional chain of pizza restaurants on the East Coast, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the third time on April 24. The company has been on shaky financial footing for years, having closed around half of its locations since its previous filing in 2022. Bertucci's continued to close stores after its latest filing, which listed between $10 million and $50 million in both assets and liabilities. The day before the filing, however, the chain opened a new, fast-casual "Pronto" location in downtown Boston. Date: April 14Filing type: Chapter 11 Consolidated Burger Holdings LLC, a large Burger King Franchisee that at its peak operated 75 of the chain's restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 14. The Debtor, which did not cite a reason for the filing, listed $50 million to $100 million in both assets and liabilities. In late 2024, Consolidated Burger Holdings reached a settlement with Burger King Corporate after a longstanding legal dispute over its franchise agreement. Date: April 8Filing type: Chapter 11 Royal Paper, a manufacturer of toilet paper, paper towels, and other paper products, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on April 8, citing operational issues and supply-chain challenges as major contributors to its financial distress. Royal Paper produces store-brand toilet paper for stores like Aldi as well as its own brands, which include Earth First, SuperSoft, and EcoFirst. The company, which listed assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million in its petition, entered a "stalking horse" agreement with Sofidel America Corp., another toilet paper company, in which the latter will purchase the former's assets for around $126 March 31Filing type: Chapter 11 Iconic American wing spot Hooters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 31, listing between $50 million and $100 million in both assets and liabilities. As part of its restructuring process, the chain agreed to sell 100+ of its owned and operated locations to a group of buyers comprising two of the brand's largest franchisees, Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC. Several months later, the chain announced that it would be closing 30 of its company-owned locations, including a number of restaurants in Florida and Georgia. Between the sales and closures of more than 130 corporate-owned stores, an increasing percentage of the brand's American locations will be owned and operated by experienced franchisees, including the company's founders. Date: March 31Filing type: Chapter 11 Gulf World Marine Park owner The Dolphin Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 31 after a string of dolphin deaths and allegations about water quality and the treatment of the facility's resident marine animals. At the time of the filing, the company listed assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million. Some of the facility's dolphins have since been relocated. Related: The best free trading apps for retail investors (& what they offer) Date: March 26Filing type: Chapter 11 Bar Louie, a Texas-based chain of gastropub-style bars and restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in less than 10 years on March 26 in order to reorganize its finances and shut down less profitable locations. At the time of the filing, which listed between $1 million and $10 million in assets and between $50 million and $100 million in liabilities, the chain was operating 48 restaurants. This is down from the 134 locations it was operating before it filed for bankruptcy for the first time in early 2020. Date: March 25Filing type: Chapter 11 Plenty Unlimited, an indoor vertical farming startup backed by financiers including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 25 in order to restructure and focus more specifically on strawberries. At the time of the filing, the company listed between $100 million and $500 million in both assets and liabilities. On May 29, the company completed its restructuring and emerged from bankruptcy March 23Filing type: Chapter 11 23andMe, the popular mail-in DNA testing company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 23 after struggling with decreased demand, declining revenues, and the continued fallout from a massive 2023 data breach in which hackers obtained customers' health and ancestry data. The filing listed between $100 million and $500 million in assets and liabilities, and the company continued to operate as it looked for a buyer. Originally, biotech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals won the bankruptcy auction, but it was later reopened, and the company was instead sold to TTAM Research Institute, a nonprofit run by the co-founder and former CEO of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki. The nonprofit's name is an acronym for 23andMe. Bloomberg/Getty Images Date: March 16Filing type: Chapter 11 Budget fashion retailer Forever 21, once a shopping mall mainstay, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in six years on March 16, citing increased competition from online fast fashion retailers like Shein. The filing listed assets of between $100 million and $500 million and liabilities of between $1 billion and $5 billion. At the time of the filing, the brand was hopeful to find a buyer for its stores, but one did not emerge in time, and all American Forever 21 locations have been closed permanently, although stores abroad were not affected. Authentic Brands Group owns the Forever 21 brand, so it is possible that it may find another licensee to operate the brand in the U.S. in the future. Date: March 14Filing type: Chapter 11 Hudson's Bay, iconic department store chain holding company and the oldest company in North America, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 14, listing around $3.7 billion in assets and around $3.2 billion in liabilities. The company cited declining sales, competition from online retailers, and international trade issues as contributing factors to its financial decline. As the company sought a buyer, it shut down its stores and liquidated its inventory, but on May 15, the Canadian Tire Corporation agreed to purchase the brand's intellectual property for around $30 million. Date: February 27Filing type: Chapter 11 Texas-based gun manufacturer Watchtower Firearms filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 27, listing mounting debt, tax issues, and operational troubles as contributing factors in its decision to reorganize. At the time of the filing, the company listed between $10 million and $50 million in both assets and liabilities. Date: February 19Filing type: Chapter 11 Arizona-based EV and hydrogen-powered vehicle startup the Nikola Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 19, listing assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion. The filing came just several years after the company's founder, Trevor Milton, was convicted of fraud for misleading investors about the nature of the company's products. The company is currently in proceedings to sell its assets under the supervision of the bankruptcy court. Date: February 2Filing type: Chapter 11 Liberated Brands, former retail partner of brands like Quicksilver, Roxy, Volcom, and Billabong, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 2. The filing came after Authentic Brands Group, the owner of those brands, terminated its licensing agreement with the retailer. After the filing, which listed assets and liabilities valued between $100 million and $500 million, Liberated closed its corporate office and laid off thousands of staff. The brands formerly licensed to Liberated will remain available to consumers through other retail partners. Related: The 10 most popular new cars & SUVs of 2025 (so far), according to Consumer Reports Date: January 21Filing type: Chapter 11 Books Inc., a 174-year-old chain of bookstores based in the Bay Area, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 21, citing declining revenues resulting from increased operating costs and changing consumer habits. As part of its restructuring process, the company closed one of its stores in the Berkeley area in February. The filing listed between $1 million and $10 million in both assets and liabilities. PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images Date: January 15Filing type: Chapter 11 Iconic 82-year-old craft retailer Joann filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year on January 15. The brand had faced a sharp decline in demand since the COVID-19 pandemic waned, and by the time of the filing, it had accumulated over $600 million in debt. Its bankruptcy petition listed between $1 billion and $10 billion in both assets and liabilities. Unfortunately for crafters who prefer to shop in person, Joann began closing its remaining stores after its filing, and by the end of May, the final location had been closed permanently. Michaels, another brick-and-mortar craft supply destination, acquired some of Joann's intellectual property and private label brands, including the popular Big Twist Yarn. Date: January 8Filing type: Chapter 11 Surf9, a company that designs and manufactures products for a variety of outdoor equipment and apparel brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 8. The move followed a dispute with Marquee Brands, the parent company of popular surf brand Body Glove, for which Surf9 manufactures paddleboards. The filing was also preceded by a recall on several of the company's paddleboard models, primarily sold at warehouse club Costco, due to drowning concerns. At the time of the filing, Surf9 listed under $50 million in both assets and liabilities. Related: The best 2025 cars under $25k based on Consumer Reports data The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

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